Steal My Heart
by OzQueene
Summary: The Planeteers take on their most dangerous mission yet. Sequel to "For a Little Fire Beside Me".
1. Chapter 1

**Hello, I'm back! **

**This is the sequel to **_**For a Little Fire Beside Me**_**. You need to have read that **_**first.**_** It is referenced throughout this story. **

**This story contains adult themes and language. I'll post a warning in front of any particularly strong chapters.**

**The title is taken from the Coldplay song **_**'Til Kingdom Come.**_

**Reviews and comments are always appreciated. Thank you! **

**Lisa xx**

**XX**

_He was trembling. It was freezing and he was in pain and it was dark. He was alone and scared and something bad was going to happen. Something bad was coming down a steep flight of dark steps, and it was going to take him away – take him away from Linka and he'd never see her again._

_It was coming, and terror welled up inside him._

-x-

Wheeler sat up with a gasp, the sheets stifling him, the night hot and heavy around him. It took him a few moments to realise it had all been a nightmare. He tried to cling to it, needing to analyse it and tell himself that none of it ever happened, that it had been some twisted trick his mind had played on him while he slept. He could remember a huge sense of fear and panic, which still clung to him like a second skin, smothering him and making breathing difficult. Pain and cold and darkness, and the feeling that he was about to be taken far, far away, and nothing could help him.

He glanced down to the sleeping figure beside him; the day's events proving too tiring to wake her even as he had thrashed about beside her. She had kicked the sheets down, the skin of her bare back smooth and perfect in the moonlight. One arm cushioned her face, and the other disappeared under her pillow, her face turned away from him.

Wheeler felt his heart slowing as he watched her breathe peacefully, the fear starting to leave him and the memory of how exhausted he was becoming prominent again. He fell back into the pillows, rubbing his forehead and closing his eyes – but despite his craving for sleep to fall upon him again, he remained awake.

For a brief moment he considered waking Linka – but the idea disappeared as quickly as it had come. They'd had a rough few days – chasing Sly Sludge and his latest intricate plan for the illegal dumping of garbage. Wheeler had nearly been crushed under a bulldozer and Gi had almost drowned herself in a fit of passion as she beached Sludge's motor boat – his attempt at an escape vehicle.

Then, after finally tracking Sludge down and handing him over to the appropriate authorities, they had to clean up the mess, which was physically demanding in itself.

He rolled quietly out of bed and slipped into shorts and a t-shirt. It was still a couple of hours until sunrise but he felt incredibly awake. He trudged down to the beach and sank into the sand, listening to the waves and the crickets, and the odd bird ruffling its feathers and chirping softly for the sun to appear.

X

He wasn't ever aware of falling asleep, but when he opened his eyes again the sun was up, and the sky was blue and clear. Linka was smiling down at him in amusement, her hair tousled about her face. She was clad only in a t-shirt of his, which fell half-way to her knees.

"Morning," he muttered, running a hand over his face.

"Good morning." She sank down beside him. "Do you care to explain why you are sleeping on the beach, Yankee?"

He rolled onto his side and threw an arm over her lap. "Can't remember."

She tousled his hair tenderly, leaning back on her elbows and gazing out at the gently rolling waves. "Is something wrong?"

Wheeler concealed a smile – barely. He didn't want to explain the childish fear of a nightmare to her, but he knew if he'd found her sleeping on the beach he'd have a deep worry about why she was there.

"I went for a walk to clear my head and I fell asleep," he mumbled. "I meant to come back to bed and snuggle up to you, babe, but the beach won out."

He heard her sigh a weary expletive in Russian, and he chuckled and wriggled into her, pressing his face into her hip and curving an arm around her waist.

"I'm okay," he sighed.

"Are you sure?"

"Mmhmm." To be honest, he could do with another hour or two of sleep, but he thought that idea was useless, now. It was a new day, and if history had taught him anything, Gaia would be calling them into The Crystal Chamber in a couple of hours to describe some new eco-crime they had to solve.

He waited for his fiancée to say something else, but she was quiet, tousling his hair gently with her fingers, her eyes fixed somewhere on the horizon.

"You all right?" he asked, his voice somewhat muffled in the sand and her nearby presence.

She smiled down at him, her eyebrow raised. "I am fine," she said smoothly. "I did not fall asleep on the beach."

He laughed and sat up, pressing his palms over his eyes. "I had a bad dream," he said. "It was nothing – I just wanted to clear my head a bit but I guess I sat down and fell asleep. I haven't been here long."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head. Her hair smelled of coconut and lychee – not that he knew what lychee was, just that Linka smelled of it – so it was something he liked.

They sat there for a while in silence, the morning clean and warm around them.

"How are your bruises?" Linka asked after a moment.

He checked his knee, mottled and purple thanks to making rough contact with a piece of lumber in his scramble to avoid the bulldozer bearing down on him.

"Pretty impressive," he said, rubbing his hand over it gently. "I guess it could be worse though. I'd rather a bruise than a crushed leg courtesy of Sly Sludge and his terrible driving skills."

She nodded, and looked to be on the verge of saying something else, but Ma-Ti's voice interrupted them.

"Good morning, lovebirds," he said, flopping down in the sand next to them with a smile.

Wheeler offered a tired sigh and a grin in reply, and Linka nudged him.

"Good morning, Ma-Ti," she said. "Did you sleep well?"

Ma-Ti shrugged. "I had very strange dreams last night." He looked at Wheeler for a brief moment, but the Fire Planeteer looked away, not really wanting to discuss his own sleep troubles.

"Wheeler had strange dreams too," Linka mused. "Something in the water, as you say, Yankee?"

"I guess," Wheeler shrugged.

Sensing he didn't want to talk about it, Ma-Ti turned to Linka. "How did you sleep?"

"Like a tree," Linka said.

"A log, babe," Wheeler corrected automatically, his mind wandering slightly.

"_Da_, a log," she sighed. "I think I am going for a swim."

"No run this morning?" Wheeler tried not to show his disappointment. It was part of his daily routine to run with Linka each morning. He looked forward to it with a stupid sense of longing – a lot of the time it was the only time he had alone with her before they returned to their hut at night.

"It is getting too warm," Linka said, squeezing his hand and getting to her feet. "You can come swimming, if you like?"

The thought of Linka in her bikini was enough to hurry the last cravings for sleep from his mind. He was well and truly awake. "Why not?" he said, leaping to his feet.

"Coming, Ma-Ti?"

"Thank you, but no," Ma-Ti said, suppressing a grin at the look of sudden disappointment on Wheeler's face at the thought of a third party. "You two go ahead. I'm going to help Kwame do a little maintenance on the geo-cruiser."

"Yell out if you need help," Wheeler said.

Ma-Ti nodded and watched Wheeler and Linka disappear back up the path into their hut. He looked after them a little worriedly. He couldn't remember, exactly, the dreams he'd that night, but it had all been tied to Wheeler somehow, and the sense of panic had hit Ma-Ti's stomach just as it had hit his. He looked down at the ring on his finger anxiously. Sometimes it caused him more trouble than not.

X

"The idea of swimming was to get some exercise, Yankee," Linka huffed, squirming around in his arms.

He laughed and held her tightly – kissing her neck. "I'll show you some exercise," he muttered.

"_Bozhe moy_," she exclaimed. "Are you going to let go?"

"Hmm..." He pretended to ponder the question for a moment. Taller than her by quite a way, he was standing on the ocean floor, the water lapping about their shoulders. Without being able to reach the bottom, she didn't have enough purchase to squirm away from him.

"Am I going to have to make you?" She raised her eyebrow at him, but her arms slid around his neck and her struggling had lessened significantly.

"You don't want to do that..." he grinned and sucked a bead of water from her neck.

She gave sigh of resignation and placed her forehead gently against his. "If you refuse to let me exercise this morning, you will do something else for me instead?"

"What's that?" he asked, his fingers brushing against the tie that held her bikini bottoms together at her hip.

"Tell me why you slept on the beach?"

He stopped his exploration of her body for a moment. "I told you, babe," he murmured. "I went for a walk to clear my head after a bad dream. I didn't _mean_ to fall asleep on the beach."

"What was the dream?" Her eyes were slightly widened with worry, gazing up at him intently. He could see a light scattering of freckles across her nose and that, more than anything, indicated the season of long, lazy days of summer they'd had.

He sighed and kissed her forehead. "I don't remember much of it. It was dark, and cold, and creepy. Something about a woman with dark hair. I don't know."

"Just what sort of dream was this?" she asked.

He laughed. "Ugh, not one of _those_ dreams. Have a little faith in me, babe."

She grinned and took his moment of distraction to work her way out of his arms, paddling just out of arm's reach and treading water. "It was just a bad dream? Not something else?"

"Like what?" he asked, running hands through his hair. He was getting hungry and the thought of breakfast entered his mind.

She shrugged. "Something to do with me?"

"No, nothing to do with you, gorgeous." He lunged for her and pulled her under the water with him. He emerged laughing – she, spluttering.

She ran off a few choice swearwords he hadn't yet managed to translate into English, and splashed him, her worry forgotten.

As they made their way back to the shore though, the sick feeling in Wheeler's stomach returned, and he couldn't seem to shake the dreadful foreboding the dream had left with him.

XX


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for the reviews so far, you guys! :)**

**XX**

"You look like you could do with some sleep, Wheeler." Captain Planet dusted his hands off with a slight wrinkle of disgust across his brow.

"Yeah, well, we do all the legwork before calling you in," Wheeler explained, looking up at him in irritation. "Also, I've had the issue of trudging through this stuff all day." He lifted his foot with a horrible sucking sound, the thick mud gripping at him hungrily.

"You'd like a lift?"

"Please?"

Cap hauled Wheeler out and gently deposited him in the clearing of trees with the other Planeteers.

"Thanks, Cap," Gi said wearily. "I guess all we have to do now is make sure those drums of chemicals are stored away properly."

"I can't help much, there," Cap answered regretfully. "It's hard enough breathing the stuff in."

"We know," Wheeler said darkly, sinking to the ground and kicking his ruined sneakers off.

"Ignore Wheeler," Linka said sympathetically, looking at Captain Planet. "He slept on the beach last night."

"I won't ask," he said, grinning. "Good job today, Planeteers. The power is yours."

Wheeler flopped back onto the grass, listening to yet another mosquito zing past his ear. For the first time in eight months, he started yearning for his old desk job again.

"Are you going to help, or not?"

He opened one eye to see Linka standing over him, her hands on her hips.

"If I have to," he answered, giving her a weary smile. "I'm exhausted."

"I know." Her voice softened and she glanced up as the other Planeteers moved away to finish the job of clearing up. "But you need to cheer up a bit, Yankee."

"I know." He got to his feet and kissed her gently. "That's better."

She laughed and he grinned, his mood lightening considerably. They were almost done. For today, anyway.

X

"Wheeler, may I see you for a moment, please?"

He looked up in alarm. "Just me?"

Gaia nodded and he left the Planeteers rather apprehensively, feeling Linka's eyes on his back as she helped the others unload the geo-cruiser.

"If this is about being a smartass to Cap –" Wheeler began.

Gaia smiled. "No, Wheeler." She gestured to the table in the middle of the common room. "Kwame and Ma-Ti picked up the mail this morning. Linka has another returned letter."

His heart sank. "Oh, man..." He picked it up, noticing his fiancée's neat, printed Russian handwriting on the front of the envelope. "He's still refusing to read them, huh?"

"It looks like it," Gaia said gently. "Will you talk to her? I think this is going to hurt her rather deeply..."

"Yeah," he sighed, slipping the envelope into his pocket. "What a day."

X

"What did Gaia want?" Linka asked, stripping her soiled t-shirt over her head and stepping into the bathroom.

"Not much," Wheeler answered, dropping the letter into the drawer of his bedside table and following her. "I'll tell you later."

"Are you in trouble?"

"No," he said distractedly, a headache coming on suddenly.

She looked at him over the top of the shower screen. "You look tired," she said worriedly. "How much sleep did you get, Wheeler?"

He shrugged. "A few hours. I'll crash early tonight."

She rolled her eyes. "I have heard you say that before."

He laughed and leaned against the screen, peering down at her as she poured shampoo into the palm of her hand. "Guess it's all just catching up with me, that's all," he said. "We've worked almost every single day for the past eight months. And it's dangerous – if it's not Plunder and Blight taking you away, it's illegal hunters trying to shoot one of us, or Greedly locking Gi in abandoned chalk mines, or crooked governments throwing us in jail, or Sludge trying to run me down with a bulldozer."

"It is hard," she agreed, closing her eyes against the suds that ran from her hairline. "But you worked very hard when we were away..."

"In an office, with a big pay cheque and a nice apartment and luxury hotels to compensate my efforts," he said. "This stuff we're doing now... I don't remember being so wiped, during those first six years. I guess I'm getting old."

"Mm," Linka said, ducking her head under the water.

"Mm?" he asked indignantly. "_Mm?_"

She shrieked as he ducked around the screen and wrestled her playfully against the wall, laughing, water and shampoo suds soaking him.

X

"You're cheating!" Linka cried, pointing an accusing finger at Wheeler, the volleyball rolling over the sand to Ma-Ti's feet.

"Babe, please," Wheeler said, opening his arms as though to draw attention to his bare chest. "You're just distracted by my body."

Gi shrieked with laughter, and everyone joined in quickly – laughing at her rather than at anything Wheeler or Linka may have said.

"What is the score, Ma-Ti?" Kwame asked, still smiling. He was always the first to become serious again, but Wheeler thought he'd relaxed a lot in the past eight months, falling into a comfortable relationship with the rest of them and taking life a little less seriously than Wheeler remembered him doing so before.

"I don't remember," Ma-Ti said, still chuckling and brushing sand off his knees. "Can we call it a draw?"

"Ugh," Gi said in disgust. "Can't you just agree the girls win, Ma-Ti?"

"Persuade me?" he asked cheekily.

"_Da_, Gi, distract him with your body," Linka said, giggling, and they all erupted into laughter again.

The sun was sinking into the sea, sending a brilliant flare of orange light across the sky, the clouds pink and red, the sea calm and quiet.

"I'm done," Gi sighed, dusting her hands off. "Does anyone fancy a swim?"

Kwame swept her up in his arms and raced towards the beach, Gi kicking and screaming and laughing until he crashed into the water with her.

"Coming?" Ma-Ti asked, still smiling from his previous laughter.

"In a moment," Wheeler said, a little nervously.

Linka looked at him curiously and he held his hand out. She accepted it and they walked up the beach a little, hand-in-hand, not needing to talk just yet.

Wheeler felt incredibly guilty about having to ruin her good mood. The evening had stretched out with volleyball games on the beach, and quick jokes and laughter between each of the Planeteers, all relieved at another job being completed successfully.

He couldn't put it off, though – she would find the letter eventually, and he didn't really want to hide it from her anyway.

"Wheeler?" She looked up at him questioningly as they reached the curve of the beach. They could hear the others splashing around closer to The Crystal Chamber, enjoying the last rays of the sun.

"Here," he sighed, sinking into the sand and tugging her down next to him. "You got another letter back, babe." He handed it to her and watched her face.

She went a little pale, a deep, full wrench of pain passing across her eyes, her hands trembling as she turned the envelope over.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, putting an arm around her.

She sobbed heavily and buried her face in his shoulder. He could feel her tears on his skin immediately, her arms folding against his chest, huddling into him. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back, not entirely sure what else he could do. His heart broke every time she cried – and he felt a deep, fiery anger at Mishka for continuing to do this to her.

"Why is he...?" She trailed off helplessly, her body shaking at the effort of keeping her sobs quiet.

"I don't know, babe." He hugged her tightly, tucking her head under his chin. He could feel her shuddering against him, her breath rasping in and out as she struggled to understand why her brother insisted upon continuing his cruel silence.

For a moment, Wheeler sensed Ma-Ti, as though he were trying to figure out where he and Linka had disappeared to – but the feeling disappeared quickly as the Heart Planeteer realised what was happening and left them alone.

Wheeler stroked her hair, feeling miserable. He was never very good at providing emotional support. He was never sure about what he should say, or do. He thought he probably made the situation worse, a lot of the time.

But the circumstances between Linka and Mishka seemed to be deteriorating week by week. She desperately wanted her brother to come and see her get married, and to get to know Wheeler a little better – but Wheeler couldn't see that happening anytime soon.

Linka crumpled the letter against her heart, trembling as she tried to calm her sobbing. She missed her brother dearly and she couldn't understand why he was being so harsh in his refusals to speak to her.

"I cannot remember what caused it to go so wrong," she said, her voice weak and watery, muffled against Wheeler's skin.

"He's just being a jackass," Wheeler said, no patience left for the man who was causing her so much pain. "There's no reason he should be this awful to you."

She just nodded mutely, watching the waves run in and out. She was tired, and upset, and she wanted to curl up and sleep for a while and try to forget everything.

She sat up, wiping her eyes. "Could I have a moment alone, Wheeler?"

"Sure, babe." His voice was gentle but she knew he felt a little rejected and hurt. She pulled him to her for a kiss before he got up and left her there, his hand touching the top of her head affectionately as he went past, trudging up the beach towards the others.

She hugged her knees to her chest and watched the sun sink into the sea.

**XX**


	3. Chapter 3

**Thanks for the reviews, everyone! Sorry I've been so terrible at replying - I've been away! :)**

**xx**

_Wheeler, are you in the hollow tree near the northern cove?_

_Nice work, Ma-Ti._

Wheeler brushed himself off and grinned, heading for the path back to the main beach. Ma-Ti was improving; there was no doubt about it.

When they had a day off, the Planeteers put huge effort into training. Eight months ago Plunder had taken Linka, and Ma-Ti had been unable to find her without her ring on her finger.

Having left their rings in The Crystal Chamber under the watchful eye of Gaia, four of the Planeteers had split up and hidden in various places around the island, leaving Ma-Ti to track them through the powers of his own ring.

Wheeler, the last to be found, joined the others back in The Crystal Chamber. "You're getting better," he told the Heart Planeteer.

Kwame agreed. "You have a much better connection than you used to," he said. "You can track us to our exact locations on the island. You are getting much stronger."

"I would like to practise somewhere other than Hope Island," Ma-Ti said, looking down at his ring. "Sometimes I think our connection to one another is stronger here."

"You're all gaining new strengths," Gaia said, sounding impressed. "You've all been working very hard."

Wheeler bit back a response just in time. _You can say that again._

He didn't know why he was finding things so difficult. He'd worked tirelessly for five years away from Hope Island – and had craved coming back. The past eight months, however, had hit him as more physically draining and more dangerous than he had ever remembered Planeteer work to be.

Gaia smiled patiently at him, as though knowing what he had been about to say. "I think you all deserve a few days off," she said.

"Really?" Gi asked hopefully, raising her head.

"Absolutely," Gaia said. "I think a few days of relaxation would do you all the world of good." She was looking at Linka as she said this, but the blonde didn't notice, her attention withdrawn and focused on something else.

"Thank you, Gaia," Kwame said, unable to prevent the relief in his voice. "A few days of rest sounds good to me."

They drifted away, Linka immediately disappearing up the path to her hut. Wheeler felt a pang as she disappeared without him.

"Gi," he said suddenly, turning to the Water Planeteer as she was about to head down to the beach. "Can you do me a favour?"

"Sure," she said, waiting for him to catch up and walk alongside her. "What's up?"

Wheeler explained his sudden, inspired plan to her, not sure exactly where the thoughts were coming from, but hoping they sounded like good, sensible ideas.

"Just, you know..." He shrugged. "Do whatever it is girls do to cheer themselves up. I'm no good at it."

"You're a lot better than you used to be," Gi said, grinning at him. "But sure, that sounds like fun! If Linka wants to go, I'm in."

He sighed and smiled at her. "Thanks."

x

"Just while you have a couple of days free," he said, hoping he sounded convincing. "I'm sure it'll do you the world of good, babe."

"Are you trying to get rid of me?"

He paled suddenly. "What? No!"

She laughed, and he realised he'd been had.

"Bitch," he said, wrestling her onto the bed. He was relieved to hear her laughing, though, and when she looked up at him, her eyes were twinkling.

"Ah," he sighed, kissing her. "I missed that smile."

"It was not far away," she promised quietly.

"So I think you'd better go and tell Gi the two of you are heading off on a girl's weekend," Wheeler murmured, kissing her again. "She's going to need a day and a half to pack."

She laughed at his exaggeration, shoving him off her and leaping to her feet. "Okay."

He grinned as she raced to her friend's hut, her mood seemingly positive again.

x

"Have fun, or else," he growled, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Do not threaten _me_, Yankee," she mocked, burying her face in his neck. "You will be sorry."

He chuckled and hugged her a little tighter, causing her to catch her breath and muffle a brief complaint against him.

"Don't fall in love with anyone else while you're here," he ordered, pulling away and looking at her.

She rolled her eyes and he grinned and kissed her again.

"You'd better go... Gi is giving me that impatient look of hers."

Linka raised her eyebrow and kissed him, tugging at the front of his shirt to hold him closer. "Behave yourself while I am away," she said. "Make the bed."

He laughed. "Will do. Love you."

"I love you too." She let go of him a little reluctantly and he waved to Gi again before jumping back into the geo-cruiser.

He watched Linka and Gi wave to him as he took off again, London falling away behind him.

He hoped they'd have a good time. Linka seemed excited about seeing her old friend Caitlin again – and Gi was beside herself at the thought of shopping. He wasn't sure how she was going to bring _more_ clothes home – she'd probably have to buy herself another suitcase.

He sighed and checked his watch. He still had a long way to go.

Feeling slightly guilty about not telling Linka the whole truth, he typed in new coordinates and adjusted his direction accordingly, his heart beating nervously at the thought of what was likely to be ahead of him.

x

"Do you speak English?"

He sighed with relief at the affirmative response and the friendly smile given to him.

He smiled back. "Thank God. I need to find out where this is," he said, pulling out one of Linka's letters to Mishka. "It might be miles away, I don't know..."

"_Nyet_, not so far," the woman said, turning the envelope over in her hands. "But this has been sent – uh... sent back? Returned? Maybe this address is wrong?"

"I don't think so," Wheeler said, pocketing it again. "Could you tell me how to get there, please?"

"_Da_, it is down that way." The woman pointed and gave him halting directions, drawing a hasty map on the back of an old shopping list she had pulled from her purse.

"Thank you," Wheeler said gratefully.

She smiled at him again and left him, glancing back at him over her shoulder curiously.

Wheeler hurried on his way, looking up at the hopelessly foreign street signs anxiously.

He found it – not far from where Linka had once lived. The house was small and neat, next to other almost-identical houses in a narrow street. He knocked nervously, not entirely sure of what he was about to say.

Mishka answered the door and his eyes widened a little. "You," he said in surprise. "The Planeteer."

"Yeah," Wheeler said, his hand moving to the back of his neck, rubbing his skin in a nervous gesture. "I think we should talk for a bit. If you don't mind."

Mishka hesitated, his eyes darting to the road behind Wheeler and finding it empty. He stepped aside a little unwillingly, and Wheeler hurried inside before he could change his mind.

"Linka sent you, I suppose?" Mishka asked gruffly, sitting himself at the kitchen table.

"She doesn't know I'm here." Wheeler sat opposite him, helping himself to a chair after Mishka failed to offer. "But I _am_ here because of her."

Mishka glared at him and Wheeler almost lost his nerve. Almost.

"You're breaking her heart," he said. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Taken aback, Mishka gaped at him. "You will come into my house and talk to me like this?" he asked angrily.

"You deserve a lot worse," Wheeler snapped, his temper and his impulses taking over. "Why won't you read her letters or return her calls?"

"You would not understand," Mishka snarled back.

"I understand a lot more than you think I do." He wasn't going to back down now. He leaned across the table, tense and angry. "Linka and I are getting married and she wants you to be there."

Mishka sat back in surprise. "You are marrying her? She is – she is getting married? To you?"

"That's right." Wheeler couldn't figure out how he felt about Mishka's surprise. He decided to ignore it, for now.

Mishka scoffed, suddenly, and muttered something to himself in Russian.

"Look," Wheeler sighed, sitting back suddenly, realising that getting angry at Mishka probably wasn't going to help anything. "Can't you at least write back to her? Answer one of her phone calls? At least explain to her what she's supposed to have done wrong?"

"Everything!" Mishka shouted, jumping to his feet. He stormed around the kitchen, ranting loudly, gesturing wildly as Wheeler looked on in shock.

"She left us for six years," he snarled. "She said it was for the greater good and I understood, at first, until things started going so badly for us. She was selfish. She stayed away and lived on a pretty island while we were stuck here and my grandmother suffered."

Wheeler opened his mouth to object, and to point out the hypocrisy, but Mishka carried on.

"When she finally came back she resented being here!" he said, sweeping a saucepan off the bench and into the sink in a wild fit of passion. "And she resented having to look after Grandmother. It served her _right._ She _deserved_ to see how hard it was here. She had been away and she had forgotten us."

"That's not true!" Wheeler said, his mouth open in horror. "She never forgot you – and she _never_ had it easy. Being a Planeteer is hard work, believe me. It's dangerous and never-ending. She's giving her life to stop maniacs taking over and ruining the planet for everyone else."

Mishka scoffed again, and shook his head. "She could have said no," he said. "She could have come home. Without Linka here to help, we suffered. And when she finally came back, she said it was only for five years. She said she was going back. To _you._"

Wheeler blinked. "Look, Mishka," he said carefully, "Linka doesn't have a selfish bone in her body. You have to know that. I know you're angry, and things were hard, but –"

"You will never understand what we suffered here," he spat.

Wheeler ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Look, I don't want to fight, okay?" he asked, trying to keep his building anger under control. "All I want is for things between you and Linka to get better. She's heartbroken and I honestly don't think you want to hurt her. I think you're angry, and it's just easier to blame her for everything. I know things were hard, but not talking to Linka... how does that make it better?"

"I would not expect _you_ to understand," Mishka said rudely.

"You know what, man? You're right, I don't understand," Wheeler said, throwing his chair back and getting to his feet. "I don't understand how someone can cut Linka out of their life. The five years I had without her were the worst years of my life." He tugged the door open and stood there for a moment, the rush of fresh air causing him to calm just a little.

"Linka's in London and I'm going back to pick her up on Sunday morning," he said. "I know she'd like to see you, so if you want to come back with me, the invitation is there. I'll be back to see you again before I leave."

He slammed the door and stalked up the road, his hands in his pockets and his face cloudy with anger and disappointment.

**XX**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for reviewing :) Really appreciate the feedback & the comments coming through.**

**XX  
**

"Is it too short?" Linka asked anxiously, touching the ends of her hair.

"No," Gi said, beaming enthusiastically. "You look gorgeous. It really suits you, Linka."

Linka looked back at her reflection. On a rare impulse, she had stepped into a salon and asked for something different. Not _too_ different – Linka liked to think things through carefully, logically and rationally. And while a haircut may not have seemed like a major decision, she had always worn her hair long, usually tied back out of her face, restraining the curls and keeping them under control. Now it fell in a silky curtain around her shoulders, a good seven or eight inches missing from the ends. It all felt a lot lighter to her, and she worried suddenly that she had been a little hasty. Her curls seemed more refined, somehow, bouncing thick and glossy and brushing her shoulders whenever she moved her head.

"_Honestly_," Gi pressed. "You look beautiful and amazing and all those other things Wheeler likes to call you."

Linka smiled shyly, never really one to take a compliment well. "Thank you."

"Now _please_ help me choose something to wear," Gi begged.

They'd spent the afternoon shopping, and Gi had been a little over-enthusiastic. Linka turned now and saw her friend's bed, a mountain of clothes teetering precariously on top of it. She giggled and shook her head.

"Gi, I think you need to narrow your choices a little."

"Well, what are you wearing?"

Linka shook out one of the new dresses she had bought. It was red and pretty, designed to hug her upper body and flare out to just above her knees.

Gi gave a sigh of approval and began burrowing through her clothes again as Linka disappeared into the bathroom to do her makeup. She was in the middle of curling her eyelashes when Gi called out to her.

"Linka, your cell phone is ringing!"

Linka hurried back to answer it, glancing at the screen and smiling when she saw the name.

"Hello, Yankee. Missing me already?"

"Afraid so," he answered. "How's London?"

"Wonderful," she sighed. "I do miss it. I think Gi will be bringing most of it back in her suitcase, though."

Wheeler laughed. "I thought as much. How about you?"

"I may have picked up one or two things," she said, smiling at Gi as her friend rolled her eyes and disappeared into the bathroom.

"Underwear?"

"Wheeler!" Linka reddened and laughed. "You have a one track mind."

"And the destination is always Linka," he sighed. "Going out tonight?"

"_Da_, with Gi and Caitlin."

"Well have fun, babe. Remember, don't fall in love with someone else. It'll cause me to become bitter and twisted and I'll end up like Looten Plunder or someone like that."

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I do not think you need to worry," she said. "Besides, I find it difficult to imagine you as someone like Plunder."

"I lack the right wardrobe," he agreed. "Have fun, okay?"

"_Da_, I will. And you too – I hope you and Kwame and Ma-Ti are enjoying yourselves."

"Oh I'm sure of it," he said breezily, not liking himself at all for lying to her so readily. "See you Sunday. Love you."

"Love you too." She hung up and headed for the bathroom, focused on battling Gi for the use of the mirror.

x

"Linka, this is _amazing_," Caitlin gushed, grasping Linka's hand in a vice-grip and tilting it so she could watch the engagement ring flash in the light. "Why didn't you tell me the ring was so incredible?"

Linka shrugged, embarrassed by the attention, and looking at Gi for help.

"Are you ready to go?" Gi asked brightly, winking at her friend.

"_Da,_ we should go," Linka said, trying to tug her hand free. "Where would you like to start, Caitlin?"

"This is an incredibly expensive diamond," Caitlin declared. "You didn't tell me he was rich!"

"Does it matter?" Linka asked anxiously, widening her eyes at Gi pleadingly.

"Linka, this is _amazing_." Caitlin tilted the diamond towards the light.

"_Da,_ you said..." She finally tugged her hand free. "Will we go? Please?"

They ended up at a bar Linka and Caitlin used to frequent. It was dim and crowded, but pleasant and not too noisy.

"I'm buying!" Caitlin announced, heading for the bar. Linka let her go, sinking into a cushioned booth with a weary sigh.

"You're not ready for bed are you?" Gi asked teasingly. "Is that diamond weighing you down?"

Linka giggled and rolled her eyes. "Only on one side. Are you having fun, Gi?"

"Sure I am!" Gi said brightly. "I've spent a good deal of the money I earned over the past five years _and_ we're in London! I can see why you loved living here." She looked concerned all of a sudden. "Are you having fun?"

"_Da_, of course." Linka smiled reassuringly. "I just – I have not told Caitlin about the Planeteers. I am not sure how to explain things..."

"Oh," Gi said, nodding understandingly. "Well, just tell her it's like what you used to do. Only with a different company. It's not really lying, is it?"

"I suppose not," Linka said, looking a little happier about things.

Caitlin returned and set three sugary cocktails down on the table. "Linka," she whispered, clutching her friend's arm, "Robert is here."

"Who?" Linka asked. Then, her eyes widened. "Oh! _Bozhe moy_. Has he seen me?"

"Who's Robert?" Gi asked, feeling a little left out.

"My boss," Caitlin said, scooting into the booth. "He fired Linka just before she left for New York."

"He sounds like a jackass," Gi muttered, using one of her favourite words. Wheeler had used it a lot when he'd stayed with her in Seoul, and it had stuck with her.

"He's okay when Linka's not around," Caitlin said, sucking thoughtfully on her straw. "She sends him into a bit of a spin."

Linka was ducked down in her seat, anxiously scanning the room for Robert – but she couldn't see him.

"Are you sure it was him, Caitlin?" she asked, relaxing slightly when he failed to appear.

"Definitely," Caitlin declared. "Drink up! At this rate you'll never get in a drunk phone call to your boyfriend. Your _fiancé._"

"I do not think drunk phone calls to Wheeler are a good idea," Linka said, smiling. She remembered one such night out with Caitlin and still cringed to herself whenever she remembered calling Wheeler in a less-than-sober state.

Gi sighed, suddenly. "Linka, that dress looks beautiful on you."

She blushed. "Thank you, Gi –"

"I tried the exact same style on and it looked awful," Gi lamented to Caitlin.

"Oh, I know," Caitlin said, sounding annoyed. "Linka can wear anything and still look gorgeous. It's not fair."

Linka took a large gulp of her drink.

x

She had stopped drinking, but her body still felt pleasantly light, and she no longer felt self-conscious about her hair or her jewellery or her dress. She arched her back as Gi dipped her, both girls giggling and taking up an insane amount of room on the crowded dance floor.

Caitlin had insisted upon leaving the quiet environment of the first bar for something louder and busier – and neither Linka nor Gi could find reason for protest. In fact, Linka had felt a little relieved, knowing that Robert had been around the first bar.

Gi spun her wildly and Linka's skirt flared out, her hair whipping lightly around her shoulders. She laughed and hugged her friend tightly.

"I need some water," she said, her mouth up against Gi's ear and her voice raised against the music.

Gi wiggled her eyebrows. "Need help?"

"_Nyet_," Linka giggled. "Keep dancing, I will be back."

Gi turned to Caitlin, who had been watching with a mixture of jealousy and amusement, and Linka threaded her way through the crowd to the bar.

She looked back over her shoulder and was pleased to see Gi and Caitlin giggling and dancing together, shouting happily over the pumping music.

"Linka?"

She turned, still smiling, but froze when she found herself looking up into Robert's face.

"It _is_ you," he said in amazement, taking hold of her arm as though she would disappear if he didn't. "Are you back?"

She tugged her arm free and ran her fingers through her hair, disturbing the carefully-styled curls. "I am visiting Caitlin," she said, not sure how else to answer. Then, "Hello, Robert."

"Hello." He stared down at her and she began to feel uncomfortable.

"I was just getting a drink," she said. "Excuse me..." She tried to disappear into the crowd, but he followed her and was still beside her as she was requesting her glass of water.

"You've cut your hair," he said.

"_Da_. So have you, I imagine." She sipped hastily at her water.

"I liked it better when it was longer," he said softly, lifting his hand to brush a ringlet with his fingers.

She slapped his hand away, suddenly, clunking her glass down onto the bar. "Since when do I care what _you_ think?" she asked, glaring at him.

He gave a short, barking laugh. "Typical. Still stubborn and stuck-up."

"And yet you are still following me around like a lost puppy," she snapped. "If you detest me that much, leave me alone."

"It's been almost two years since I saw you last," Robert said, his voice soft again. "I thought we could catch up."

"_Nyet_, I am not interested," she said coldly. She brushed past him and headed back to the dance floor, refusing to look back.

x

"Do you think Wheeler would be mad if I told him about Robert?" Linka asked quietly, wiping the last of her makeup off.

"I don't see why he would be," Gi yawned, trying unsuccessfully to pull her bed sheets back. She tugged furiously and snapped a few Korean swear words at her pillows as they tumbled to the floor. "You had a good time before Robert showed up though, right?"

"_Da_," Linka said warmly, drawing her sheets back sedately and slipping between them.

Gi pummelled her pillow and snuggled beneath the newly-disturbed pile of blankets. "So there's no problem," she sighed. "You just ran into Robert, argued for a few minutes, and left. It's just like how you and Wheeler used to be."

Linka snorted. "_Nyet_. I really cannot stand Robert." She rolled onto her back and gazed up at the ceiling. "I used to be good friends with him," she said, twirling her engagement ring around her finger in a nervous gesture. "Until he proved his work was more important than his friends."

"Jackass," Gi said sleepily.

Linka smiled to herself and reached over to turn the lamp off. "Goodnight, Gi. I am glad you came with me."

"Mm, me too," Gi yawned. "I miss you sometimes, you know." She smiled tiredly at her friend, across the narrow space between their beds.

"I miss you too," Linka whispered.

Gi rolled over as Linka turned out the light. "I'm going to have stern words with your boyfriend," she mumbled. "Going to tell him to share you around a bit so I can spend some more time with you, Linka."

"Good luck," Linka whispered. She smiled in the dark and her worry over Robert was forgotten.

x

Robert, however, had not forgotten Linka, and the blissful peacefulness of sleep eluded him. He finally crawled out of bed to the telephone, a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Rational voices tried to talk him out of it, but the alcohol and the loneliness and the _pride_ inside him welled up and silenced them. He started sifting through loose papers in his desk drawer, searching for a hastily-scribbled phone number.

He had never taken Linka's departure well. Firing her had been a hasty mistake – something he had done as a jealous, ill-thought revenge. He had discovered she'd spent the night with the Vice President of a rival company, and his ego hadn't been able to take it. It had all had very little to do with work, in the end. He had decided to hurt her in return for the rejection he'd felt via her actions – and instead of pleading with him or bargaining with him like he'd thought she would – she had run straight to New York and back into the arms of the other man.

He found the number. His throat was dry and his stomach ached with guilt and terror, but still he continued, dialling the number and listening to the call connect and ring through at the other end.

The answering voice sent a shiver up his spine, but the thought of Linka spurred him on.

"It's Robert Welling," he said, his voice quiet but steady. "That favour you owe me? I want to call it in."

"Of course." The voice on the other end was smooth and obliging. The voice on the other end had no choice but to do Robert Welling's bidding.

He expelled a shaky breath and clenched his trembling hands. "It's complicated, and dangerous, and very illegal, but I want it done. Don't forget I have enough evidence against you to put you away for life."

"Don't worry, Robert," the voice answered, bold and determined. "How can I help you?"

Robert leaned back in his chair, and let his desperation and frustration and anger ride over him and swamp the guilt and the terror, expelling it from the conversation.

It was, after all, for the greater good.

**XX**


	5. Chapter 5

**Big thanks to Gemma72 and ReSch27 for reviewing the last chapter! I really appreciate it, thank you both! :)**

**This chapter has swearing in it, so please consider yourself warned if it's likely to make you uncomfortable.**

**XX  
**

"So on a scale of one to ten, how much did you miss me?" Wheeler asked, his eyes twinkling as he embraced her.

Linka was about to reply with some sort of wise-crack comment – the kind he probably expected – when she caught sight of Mishka standing by the geo-cruiser, a surly look on his face.

She took half a step back in shock, the rest of the world falling away for a moment, before she ran to him, dropping her bag and flinging herself into his arms. He put his arms around her, but he was stiff and distant, and she soon pulled away, tears in her eyes.

Wheeler could hear her soft murmurs as he retrieved her bag out of the dirt and tactfully left them alone – the entire conversation foreign to him anyway.

"I'm so happy to see you," Linka whispered to her brother, wiping her eyes. "I didn't think you would speak to me ever again."

Mishka shrugged, and her heart sank at the reluctance she saw in his eyes.

"Mishka?"

"Linka I'm sorry," he muttered. "I probably shouldn't have come."

"Why?" Her voice cracked, her face pale with the dread of what could be coming.

"I just..." He shrugged, and his eyes darted to Wheeler and Gi, whispering gently back and forth a short distance away. "I don't like you being a Planeteer," he said finally.

She struggled to come up with another word, but failed. "Why?"

"We needed you, Linka." He tugged his arm free of her hand and stood away from her a little. "You left us when we needed you and you only came back when it was too late."

She shook her head, horrified at what he was saying. "I never meant to hurt you," she said, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Of course I didn't."

"You still didn't come home," he said, shrugging. "I wrote to you... I told you Grandmother wasn't well."

"I came back!" she wailed, her voice thin and stressed. "I came back, so many times, and each time, Grandmother sent me back to Hope Island. What I'm doing there is important, Mishka. My friends are there..." She glanced back to Wheeler, but in an effort to give her and Mishka some privacy, he and Gi had moved away somewhat.

"Mishka, it's..." She shrugged desperately, words failing her. "It's so important that I'm there," she said, wiping her tears away on her sleeve. "I loved Grandmother – I do love her. Still. Of course I'm sorry that she was so ill. Of course I'm sorry that I couldn't do more for her..." She sobbed, clutching at him again, reaching for his hand. "I feel so guilty, Mishka."

He scoffed, and the noise was like a dagger of ice in her chest.

Breathless, she shook her head, dropping his arm. "You have no idea – the guilt I feel," she whispered. "But Mishka, you..." She sobbed again, covering her mouth with her hand and trying to calm her breathing. "Why are you being so awful to me? Do you blame me for what happened to her?"

"Of course not." He was gazing over her head, determined not to look at her, trying to shut her out. "She was too ill for us to do anything, really." He looked down at his hands. "But we were waiting for you, Linka. I told her you were coming back and she waited for you, but it took months until it really happened."

"You lied to her!" Linka cried. "I never told you I was coming back, Mishka. How could you tell her otherwise?"

He shrugged, sullenly. "I thought you would come to your senses," he muttered. "I thought you would see reason and return to us – to be where you belonged."

"I belong with the Planeteers," she said, her breath catching in her throat.

He glared at her. "So why did you come back for those five years?"

"Gaia sent us home to decide what we wanted to do." Linka took his hand again, but his grip was limp and heavy. "Mishka, I never abandoned you. You're my _family._"

"You didn't act like it." He looked sad and she began to cry again.

"I'm sorry," she sniffed. "But this isn't fair, Mishka. I don't understand why you hate me so much..."

"I don't hate you," he said heavily. "I'm just disappointed, Linka. I thought you cared about us – but you only came back when Gaia told you to. Aren't you capable of making your own decisions anymore?"

"Of course I am!" she snapped, suddenly furious with him, her tears drying up almost instantly. "Mishka, you aren't even trying to understand. I'm giving up so much to be with the Planeteers – I missed the last years of our grandmother's health because I was out helping other people. I think about that _all the time._ I wonder if perhaps she'd still be alive if I'd gone home earlier."

"Of course she would be!" he snarled, glancing to Wheeler and Gi to make sure their attention was still on their own conversation. "Our lives got so much harder when you left, Linka. I was the only one bringing any money in, and she had to do all the chores you used to do..."

She wiped her eyes hurriedly, unable to come back with an answer.

"When you came back it was too late," he murmured. "The damage had been done."

"You were so proud of me," she wept. "When I first went to be a Planeteer, you were so proud of me..."

"Things change."

"They do." She looked helplessly at him. "You've changed."

"Life has not been as easy on me as it has been on you," he said. "I work hard, Linka, and it's dangerous, and instead of being able to live on a pretty little island, I have to go home to a house with poor heating and high rent."

"Mishka –"

"Natalya is pregnant," he said suddenly.

She gaped at him, and her instant reaction was to smile. "Oh, Mishka, that's wonderful..." She moved to wrap her arms around him, but he stepped back.

"Natalya has offered..." He sighed and shook his head, looking up to the sky as though he felt ridiculous forming his next sentence. "She would like you to come back and stay with us. Help out a little..."

She stared at him, not understanding what he was saying.

"I think if you came home things could be better again," he murmured, shifting his eyes reluctantly to hers. "I think we could be a family again, Linka."

Linka blinked and tried to take in what he had just said. "Mishka, I don't want to be a babysitter," she said. "I mean – I am very happy for you, of course. And Natalya. But I cannot leave the Planeteers... And I will _not_ leave Wheeler."

He nodded and pressed his lips together in a thin line. "So you would rather travel the world being a tourist than spend time with your family," he said heavily.

"Is that what you think it is?" Linka asked in amazement. "You know that's not what being a Planeteer is, at all."

Mishka shifted an angry glance to Wheeler again, but the Fire Planeteer was still murmuring to Gi.

"Why are you with him?" he asked, nodding his head towards Wheeler. "Are you pregnant?"

For a brief moment she had the impulse to slap him, but she quenched it quickly. "How can you be so ridiculous?" she snapped, bright spots of fury appearing on her cheeks. "Wheeler and I love each other."

Mishka scoffed again and Linka gritted her teeth.

"Forget it, Mishka," she said, and her voice broke even as she glared at him. "I'm not sure things between us can change unless you realise that I'm not a bad person just because I'm doing something that makes me happy."

"You're a bad person for abandoning your family," he whispered icily. "I'll never forgive you for that, Linka."

She went cold again, her heart aching with each beat. "Grandmother never resented me being away," she whispered. "But she _did_ resent you. What about _you _abandoning _us_, Mishka? Where were you during that final time? Trying to punish _me._"

He growled a little, and rubbed a hand over his face, leaning against the geo-cruiser. "Couldn't you ever consider it just being too difficult for me?" he asked. "Watching her die like that?"

"And it wasn't hard on me?"

"You deserved to have a little difficulty in your life for once," he snapped, his face suddenly inches from hers. "We'd had it for six years and it was time for you to realise that."

"_Fuck you, Mishka_!"

He blinked and went pale, and behind her she sensed Wheeler and Gi faltering in their conversation as they overheard her raised voice.

She was on her tiptoes, staring up into his face, her body rigid. "I cannot talk to you if you refuse to listen to me at all!" she shouted. "I know it's been hard on you, losing Grandmother, and having me so far away, but hating me for it is a little too much, don't you think? I did nothing wrong. I came home when I could and I nursed her for four years as she died. I made excuses for you when you failed to visit. I took her to the best doctors I could find. I made sure she was comfortable. And when she got so confused at the end, I let her think that her dreams were real, and that you _had_ been to visit and that things between us were fine. Whatever you think I may have done to her by becoming a Planeteer was _far_ outweighed by you being such a jerk to her in her final years."

He laughed bitterly. "You've become a spoiled brat, Linka."

"What the hell does that mean?" she asked hotly, her face still flushed anger.

"Being a Planeteer and living happily on a pretty island. Marrying someone rich enough to buy you diamonds." He nodded to the ring on her finger.

She could only shake her head sadly, a tear rolling down her cheek. "I don't know why you've formed this awful opinion of me," she whispered. "It's not right. But you're not going to change your mind, are you? It's easier to damn me than it is to face your own mistakes."

"You're not entirely to blame," he said, as though it would bring her comfort to hear. "You were so young when you left, Linka. They were bound to change you; to force their propaganda onto you. You were so impressionable."

This time she really did slap him, and she heard Gi gasp behind her.

"The Planeteers were the best thing to ever happen to me," she said, sobbing with grief and anger. "And you used to think that as well. I'm not exactly sure what's happened to you, Mishka, but you're not the brother I remember having."

She stepped away from him and her body shook as she struggled to take in enough breath to form her next words. "I guess the Planeteers are the only family I have left, now. Because I'm not sure I can repair things between us. I've tried – I really have. I've lost count of the letters and phone calls to you that went unanswered. And now we're here face to face and all we can do is run circles of blame around one another."

He shrugged and jammed his hands in his pockets. "I told you I'd forgive you if you came home, Linka. It's up to you. It's me or the Planeteers."

She watched him walk away and she wanted to call after him, but her voice failed her and she could only sob and watch him walk further and further away from her.

xx

"Oh, shit," Wheeler said, his heart sinking. He watched as Mishka turned his back on Linka and strode away, and she seemed to crumple, sobbing into her hands.

"Go," Gi said softly. "Quick."

"Linka?"

She turned to him and buried herself into his chest, her body wracked with sobs.

He heard something escaping from behind her hands, whimpers of pain and strings of Russian, and he held her to him tightly, dismayed and guilty, feeling as though her pain was entirely his fault.

"What happened?" he asked softly, pressing his cheek to hers.

"Please take me home," she whispered.

His heart skipped a beat and his stomach plummeted. "To Russia?"

"_Nyet_." She gave a choked laugh and pulled away, looking up at him and wiping her eyes. "Hope Island. With you."

He smiled back, relieved that she – _she_ – was still in there somewhere, though her smile was somewhat weak and tears still tracked steadily down her pale cheeks.

"Of course I'll take you home," he said, drawing her close again. "I'm so sorry, babe. I thought when he agreed to come it meant it was going to go well."

"It is not your fault," she said, her arms sliding around his neck. She rested her cheek against the beat of his heart. "Thank you for trying, Wheeler. It was very sweet of you to find him and try to fix things."

"I can't help but feel I made it worse," he said miserably, cursing his impulsiveness. He should have just let Linka and Mishka sort things out themselves.

She sighed in response, mumbling a denial to his guilt, squeezing him tightly.

He heard Gi grunt as she swung a suitcase into the geo-cruiser, and he looked over Linka's head and smiled at her. "Swap places with me, Gi," he said. He turned Linka gently into Gi's arms and took over loading the bags into the geo-cruiser.

"What about Mishka?" Gi asked quietly, rubbing Linka's back.

"Fuck Mishka," Wheeler muttered. "He's got his passport – he can figure the rest out himself."

**XX**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks so much for the continued reviews! They really encourage me (and remind me!) to update faster ;-) Sorry I've been so terrible at replying to you all individually. I've been a bit run off my feet, and I'm still trying to get this fic finished ;p**

**Don't think there's anything that needs a specific warning in this chapter.**

**x**

Linka was curled up in her seat, sleeping soundly, and Wheeler crept past her to sit beside Gi, who was at the controls, watching the clouds pass as they flew across the blue sky.

"So how was it, before I ruined it?" he asked, looking at her worriedly.

"You didn't ruin it," Gi said, her voice gentle and firm at the same time. "It was great. We had a brilliant time. And Linka will remember that when she wakes up, don't worry."

"I feel like an idiot," he said, mumbling into his chest as he hunched down in his seat.

"Don't," Gi said, smiling at him. "It's not your fault. I think this is beyond any of us – Linka included. It looked like a pretty serious fight they were having and I'm not sure we're the ones who can fix it. Mishka needs to ease up on her a little."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I can't understand him," he said. "Does death really change people that much, Gi? I mean..." He shrugged, not sure how to explain his thoughts. "When Dad died all I could really feel was relief. And it wasn't because I hated him or anything, it was just because he made life hard and he wasn't easy to look after when he was ill. But I guess if I lost someone I love... I guess if it was Linka..." He turned in his seat and watched her breathing peacefully, her face smooth and carefree with the ease of sleep.

"Losing her would change me," he said quietly. "I know I'd probably try to find somebody to blame. If feeling angry is what helps Mishka get through his pain, I suppose I can understand that. But it's _Linka_. She's his little sister, and she's... I mean..." He shook his head desperately.

"I don't understand it either," Gi answered gently. "I'm sure he'll come around eventually. I think he's had to deal with a lot in the past few years."

"So has she," Wheeler said angrily. "She's the one that nursed her grandmother when she was dying. Mishka left it all to her, and he still feels like she needs punishing or something."

Gi shrugged. "I'll never understand the way other people's minds work, Wheeler. Especially after something that can be as traumatic as death." She paused for a moment.

"How did your mother cope with your father's death?" She posed the question quietly, wondering if it was too intrusive.

"I guess she forgot who he really was," he said, looking down at his hands. "All of a sudden he didn't seem that bad, you know? She started remembering all the good things about him, even if they hadn't been evident in him for years. It pissed me off, to tell you the truth."

Gi leaned back in her seat, watching the auto-pilot light blink steadily in front of them, not sure what to say. He continued quietly, though.

"I started thinking maybe she felt less helpless about things if she forgot how helpless he made her feel," he murmured. "But Dad was certainly no saint and it frustrated me when that was the way she decided to remember him."

"Does she talk about him often?"

"Not with me," he answered. "I'm not great at all that emotional sort of stuff." He cast a guilty look back to Linka, and Gi rolled her eyes.

"Don't get all worked up about today," she warned. "It's Mishka's fault for coming and then being a jerk to her."

"Yeah , I know." He burrowed further into his seat, glowering quietly. "Asshole. I thought he was coming to talk to her and make things better – but he came to argue."

"You couldn't know that," Gi said gently. "And Linka isn't going to blame you for it."

"I hope not." He rubbed his face tiredly. "Did she at least have a good time in London?"

"A great time," Gi said, nodding confidently. "She showed me all her favourite places – I met a few of her old friends... And it was just nice having some time with her. Not that I'm _traumatised_ by the fact the two of you need some time together, now and then," she said, grinning. "But it was nice having her to myself for a while."

He laughed. "I guess I do demand a fair amount of her attention."

"I'm glad," Gi said, stretching her limbs. "I swear I'd made up my mind to knock you both out if you were going to come back to Hope Island and not sort yourselves out."

He laughed again and glanced back to Linka to make sure she hadn't woken. "Hey, I never needed convincing."

"I know." She looked back at Linka too. "She only needed a little bit. She thought it would change things too much. And she wasn't sure if you were serious about things or not."

He picked at a thread on his shirt. "One thing I've always been completely serious about is her," he mumbled. "Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm enough for her."

"Stop being so hard on yourself," Gi said, rolling her eyes at him. "She's changed a lot in the past few years. And so have you – but you _always_ loved one another and _that_ has not changed at all. In 11 years. Okay?"

He smiled tiredly at her. "That makes me feel better."

"Good. Now go and get some sleep, you look terrible."

He laughed and kissed her cheek, settling into the seat beside Linka and watching her peaceful breathing until the soothing hum of the geo-cruiser lulled him to sleep.

x

He awoke when Linka kissed him.

"Morning," he sighed, blinking up at her.

She smiled. "_Nyet_, it is afternoon, Yankee, and we are home."

The events of the past few hours rushed back to him and guilt hit him again like a sledgehammer.

"Stop it," she whispered knowingly. "I am okay."

"Sure?" he asked, reaching for her.

She nodded and kissed him again, and he ran his hands through her hair before he pulled back in amazement.

"You've cut your hair."

She laughed, and fell back into the seat across the aisle. "_Da_, you noticed. Is it awful?"

"No, you look beautiful. I can't believe I didn't notice it until now – I'm such an idiot." He grinned and reached for her again, trailing his fingers through a ringlet to her shoulder.

"You really like it?"

"I really do, I promise." He leaned over and nuzzled her neck, kissing the pulse beneath her skin and letting his hand slide up her thigh to rest just beneath the floaty fabric of her skirt. "I love you so much," he whispered. "I'm so sorry you're hurting, Linka."

She shook her head, staring down at her shoes. "He will – he will not listen to me," she whispered. "He thinks it is bad for me, being here. He is..." She shrugged. "I – I do not know the word. He is upset that I am here doing something I love." She shook her head, not fully able to express her conversation with Mishka.

Wheeler wasn't sure what to say to that. He kissed the top of Linka's head and pulled her up. "Let's go," he murmured. "You can go and lie down if you want; I'll tell the others you're not well."

"_Nyet_, Wheeler, I am okay." She straightened her shoulders and smiled at him. "Really." She jumped down from the geo-cruiser and started to walk back to their hut.

Wheeler gazed after her as she made her way across the beach, guilt still sitting in the pit of his stomach.

x

"Are you awake, babe?" Wheeler's voice was a soft murmur in the dark, and Linka rolled over in response, pressing her length against his.

"I cannot sleep," she sighed, gazing out of the open window at the moon.

He traced his hand up her arm, holding her to him."I'm having a bit of trouble with it too," he admitted. "I feel like everything is my fault."

She propped herself up on her elbow and smiled down at him. "Of course it was not your fault. Things between Mishka and I have been – um... difficult – for a long time." She ran a hand through her hair and he noted a momentary look of surprise when she found the ends of it so soon.

"I really do like that haircut," he murmured, tugging on a curl.

She smiled and looked a little embarrassed. "It feels a little strange."

"Well it looks good." He nuzzled her neck and kissed her throat. "I missed you. Hardly seems fair we had all that time off and I couldn't get me any Linka."

"Get you any Linka?" She raised her eyebrow. "Do not think you are _getting any Linka_ after that remark."

He laughed and cupped his hand over her waist. "How was London, anyway?"

She smiled. "It was amazing. It was lovely to spend some time with Gi, and to see Caitlin again."

"I approve of your new purchases, by the way," he said, running a hand over the brief amount of French lace covering her hips.

She smiled and kissed him. "I thought you would," she murmured. "Caitlin insisted."

"God bless Caitlin," he sighed, rolling over and settling his hips between her thighs.

She laughed and bumped her nose against his. "And you spent two days in Russia without telling me?"

"I was hoping it'd be a nice surprise," he answered.

"It was," she whispered. "Things with Mishka – it is not your fault." She smiled up at him and let her arms slip back to the mattress, over her head. "He has been like this for years now. Grandmother tried to talk sense into him too – before she got so ill."

"I went and saw your grandmother's grave," he murmured. "I left her flowers with your name on them."

She let out a sudden sob and wrapped her arms around him. "You did not have to do that," she wept.

"I know. I sat there for a while and gossiped about you. She said to tell you you're not eating enough."

She laughed helplessly and shook her head, clutching him to her. "_Bozhe moy._"

He kissed her and eased her back into the pillows, pressing his mouth gently onto each tear and soothing it away, winding his fingers into her hair and against her hands, which he encouraged to fall back against the mattress over her head.

"I just want you to feel happy again," he said, tracing a finger along the delicate line of a vein in her arm.

"You make me happy," she promised softly. "You make me mad sometimes, too, but mostly happy."

He chuckled and kissed her wrist. "You drive me up the wall sometimes as well, you know."

"Gi says we are too alike."

"That must be it."

"You do make me happy though, Wheeler." She chewed her lip slowly, as though deciding something difficult. "I am not sure I will see Mishka again," she whispered, her voice barely registering in the night air.

"Why do you say that?" Wheeler asked in concern, fondling a lock of her hair.

"Because I chose you and the Planeteers. I did not choose him."

Wheeler's eyes widened. "He told you to choose?"

"Please do not get angry –"

"I should have flattened him!" Wheeler said, rolling away and kicking the sheets off, suddenly so angry he had to pace the room. "I should have kicked him out of the geo-cruiser at a height; I should have knocked his stupid, smirking, two-faced, selfish head in..."

She waited patiently for him to finish, sitting up and resting her elbows on her knees, her chin in her palm as her eyes tracked him back and forth across the end of their bed.

"Wheeler..."

He sighed and flopped down onto the end of the mattress. "He doesn't deserve you, babe. He really doesn't."

"He is still not himself," she tried to explain. "Losing our grandmother was so hard... I am not sure he will ever learn to deal with it."

Wheeler rubbed a hand over his face and reached up to her. She took his hand and held it, and they stayed like that for a few long minutes, the moon rising higher in the sky outside, the wind shifting the leaves of the trees by their window.

"We only have another day left before we have to go back to work," she said eventually. "You have not had a very relaxing time."

He chuckled and crawled back up onto the bed to stretch out beside her again. "I'll relax tomorrow, I promise."

She cuddled into him, suddenly tired. "I will seize you to that, Yankee."

"Hold," he whispered, sliding his arms around her. "You'll hold me to that."

"_Da,_" she murmured drowsily. "That too."

**XX**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7! Thanks so much for reviewing and adding this/me to your alerts and favourites! Glad it's popular so far :) **

**I've spent the afternoon lazing about and writing a bit more (think I'm on the home straight of this one now) and I started another CP to post at some point too. Cloudy autumn skies and green tea and plot bunnies - what a nice time I'm having! ;)**

**So I was going to combine this chapter with the next one, but that would have made it around 4,000 words, so they remain split. Hope it still sounds okay. :)**

**Some mild swearing in this chapter- just one word that occurs once, and imo it's not a very bad one. ;)  
**

**xx**

"Flying rats," Wheeler muttered, glaring at a seagull that had come a little too close for his comfort. He and Linka were stretched out on the beach, drying off after a tiring afternoon spent windsurfing.

Linka sighed. "_Nyet_, they are beautiful."

"They are not," Wheeler grumbled, covering his eyes with his arm. "They're noisy idiots."

"Lucky for you I cannot help my attraction to noisy idiots," Linka said sweetly, patting his arm.

She got up and was down paddling in the shallows before Wheeler realised what she'd said. He sprang up and ran at her and she shrieked and ran deeper into the water, giggling.

He was about to plunge in after her, but Gaia's voice interrupted them, calling them to The Crystal Chamber.

"This just delays the revenge," he said, pointing at his fiancée as she waded out of the water. "Don't think I'm going to forget it."

She kissed his cheek and wandered past him up the beach, grabbing her towel and wrapping it around her waist. He watched her for a long moment before hurrying to join her, a sigh escaping him as he realised their few days of rest were now behind them.

x

"Someone's diverting sewage and waste-water around the recycling plants and directly back into the ocean," Gaia explained. "Unless the water is treated properly, it's going to do great damage to the coast and all the creatures that live there."

"Why hasn't anybody noticed?" Gi asked anxiously. "That's a big water-treatment plant. People are going to know when the water stops flowing through it."

"That's what I want you to find out, Gi," Gaia answered. "I don't think the people in charge of that treatment plant are people we can trust."

She shifted her eyes to Wheeler. "I'm sure you can take care of this in no time, Planeteers, so why not spend a few extra days in New York City?"

"Why?" Wheeler asked in confusion.

"Well, you really didn't get much of a holiday, Wheeler," she answered, smiling. "I thought you might appreciate one."

The others immediately agreed. They felt a little guilty – while they'd been lounging around enjoying themselves, Wheeler had been flying about all over the place, trying to fix things between Linka and Mishka. When it hadn't worked, Wheeler had blamed himself, and the past few days had been anything but restful for him.

"It's Ma's birthday soon," he said slowly. "She's in Seattle, but I guess I could fly her out to New York and catch up with her."

"Of course you should!" Linka said indignantly. "Shame on you for thinking twice about it."

He grinned. "Just trying to keep you and her separate for a bit longer. She knows too many ways to embarrass me."

"Ooh, I have questions for her too, then," Gi said immediately. "Let's go and pack and then we'll get going."

Wheeler rolled his eyes and pointed at her. "You're not getting within a hundred feet of my mother, Gi. Neither of you can keep secrets and I don't need you swapping stories."

"Try and stop me, Pyro." She poked her tongue out at him and skipped away.

x

"So who are we betting is behind this one?" Wheeler asked, leaning back in his seat.

"Skumm," Ma-Ti guessed. "We have not seen him for eight months."

"We have not seen Plunder or Blight for eight months, either," Kwame reminded him. "And we know they are all out there. Plunder is too good at weeding out corruption and loopholes in the law to stay in jail for very long – and Blight would not want to be left behind."

"We never caught Skumm, though," Linka said anxiously. "He has had more time to plan a new scheme – and this involves tunnels underground. That seems rather _Skumm-like_ to me."

Wheeler reached behind his seat to take her hand.

"Maybe it's just some random businessman," Gi said, rummaging around in her bag. "We've seen a few of those lately, too. Linka, do you have a comb in your bag?"

"Going to make yourself look pretty in case the random businessman is good-looking?" Wheeler asked, batting his eyelashes.

"Couldn't hurt," Gi said, grinning. She took Linka's comb gratefully and started running it through her hair. "Though Americans aren't really my taste."

Wheeler choked indignantly and both Gi and Linka started giggling hysterically.

"Wheeler, do you still have family in New York?" Ma-Ti asked, hanging over the back of his seat and grinning at Wheeler's reaction to Gi's comment.

"Just a few cousins," he said. "I'm not really in touch with any of them anymore. My mom still has friends back there though. I guess she'll want to catch up with them – and maybe drag me along. I just hope we have enough time for me to catch up with her properly and give her a good birthday."

"We will make time," Kwame answered.

"_Da,_ let us make time," Linka said. "I have many questions for your mother."

"Oh, that can't be good," he sighed, scrolling through his cell phone and checking his watch.

"_Definitely_. A lot of questions," Gi mused.

"You shut up," Wheeler said, jabbing a finger at her. She snorted and handed Linka's comb back to her with a grin. He selected his mother's number and dialled, suddenly excited at the thought of seeing her again.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Ma – I didn't wake you, did I?"

She gave a mocking gasp. "That can't be my one-and-only son, can it? After weeks of silence?"

He cringed. "Sorry. It's been a bit crazy."

"Too crazy to call your mother?"

"Apparently. I'm sorry." He shuffled in his seat and tried to block out Gi and Linka giggling softly behind him. He smiled to himself and shook his head. "How about I make it up to you? We're on our way to New York and I thought I could fly you over for your birthday."

"Seattle too far?"

"We have a job in New York. I know it's a long way, but you could catch up with your old friends at the same time..."

"I suppose I could," she said, slowly. Wheeler knew that tone of voice well. Linka used it when she was trying to sound reluctant about something she really wanted, and now his mother was employing the same tactic.

"You'd get to meet Linka," he said, hoping it didn't sound too much like a bribe. He knew he didn't really need one, anyway. There was no way she was going to refuse to see him.

"Oh, of course!" his mother replied eagerly. "I've wanted to meet her since you were 17."

He laughed. "Well now's your chance. She says she has questions for you, but I want you to play dumb, okay?"

"Never," his mother declared. "She's going to be filled in on all those embarrassing childhood memories."

He laughed. "So you can come? You'd better give us a couple of days to sort this new case out. But we could go and have dinner somewhere and celebrate in style."

"I'd like that," she answered warmly, no pretence of reluctance in her voice. "How does two days sound? Does that give you enough time?"

"Sure. I'll give you another call tomorrow night, okay?"

"Okay. You be careful."

"I will."

"Say hello to the others for me – especially Linka. Tell her I can't wait to meet her."

"Will do, Ma."

"Be _careful_, honey. I mean it. I worry about you."

"I'm fine," he said carelessly. "I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Love you."

"You too, Ma."

x

"You know what, Ma-Ti?" Wheeler asked, staring balefully down at the slimy water rushing past his feet. "I think you were right. This _does_ have Skumm written all over it."

"The things we'll do for this planet," Gi said, pinching her nose. "Come on. The sooner we find Skumm, the sooner we can get back to the hotel."

The others chuckled. Gi had been positively delighted with the hotel they were in, and had expressed a heartfelt desire to spend hours lounging around in the cushy bed, ordering room service.

Linka held her flashlight to the map she was holding. "This is one of the main chambers," she said. "The water flows through here and connects to the ducts beneath the treatment plant."

"There's hardly any water here at all," Wheeler said, shining his own flashlight down to the muck flowing past. "Thank God, may I add. It's bad enough being ankle-deep in shit; I don't want it up to my chin."

"Keep talking and we'll get there," Gi answered sweetly.

"This way," Kwame said, failing at suppressing a grin. Linka was trying not to giggle, her shoulders shaking as she tried to hide her mirth.

"You'll pay for that later," Wheeler muttered under his breath to Gi. He couldn't help a grin, however.

"Concentrate, Yankee," Linka whispered, finally getting herself under control.

"Why couldn't we just hang around _above_ ground and figure out what's going on?" Wheeler asked, wrinkling his nose as a dead rat floated past.

"Did you see the security on that place?" Kwame asked, talking over his shoulder. "It was like they are hiding a nuclear bomb in there or something."

"_Da._ Far too much security for a simple water treatment plant," Linka agreed. "Gaia was right. Whoever is in charge of that place is up to no good."

"Why would someone buy a water treatment plant and then fail to use it?" Ma-Ti asked. "It does not make sense."

"When have the eco-villains ever made sense?" Wheeler asked.

"I see your point," Ma-Ti answered.

"Hopefully we'll find some answers soon," Gi said, shining her flashlight down a tunnel to their right. "I think we should go this way. The tunnel is dry and I bet it's not supposed to be. The water is being diverted away from it."

"After you, Gi," Kwame said, sweeping a hand in front.

She led them down the tunnel, their steps echoing slightly, flashlights bobbing in the dark. Rats scurried away from them, and water dripped occasionally.

"Here!" Gi cried excitedly, her voice bouncing off the rounded stone walls. "Look!"

A large, round, metal seal stopped their path. It shone dimly in the glow of their flashlights – new metal, shiny and clean.

Gi leaned against it and closed her eyes, her ring glowing faintly in the dark.

"This is where the dirty water is," she said, concentrating on what she could sense on the other side of the sealed gateway. "It's meant to come down this tunnel and meet the main chamber, and then flow directly into the water treatment plant. But instead, this tunnel has been blocked off, and the water is rushing past and straight out into the ocean, bypassing the system that's meant to clean it up."

"Why hasn't anyone else complained about this?" Wheeler asked. "Why is it always us cleaning it up? My old company isn't far from here – they should be dealing with stuff like this."

"Maybe they don't know about it," Gi suggested. "Gaia gives us a good head-start on these things sometimes."

Wheeler sloshed through another puddle as they made their way back to the first chamber. "Thank you, Gaia," he sighed.

**XX**


	8. Chapter 8

**So it turns out isn't be all that great at emailing alerts to me, lately. :(**

**On the plus side, though, here is another chapter - and my current Captain Planet 'works in progress' has now hit a total of three. In a perfect world, I would be paid for writing fanfiction. ;-)**

**Some mild language and adult themes in this chapter.  
**

**xx  
**

"I don't understand," Gi said, looking down at the water flowing past their knees. "This is clean water, flowing in from the ocean. _Back_ to the treatment plant."

"This is all so disorientating," Ma-Ti said fretfully. "I am beginning to crave daylight again."

"I know how you feel, little buddy," Wheeler sympathised. "Hey _danbi_, is it time to leave yet?"

"Not yet," Gi murmured, shining her torch down on the map Linka was holding. "There are a lot of other tunnels to find, yet. I want to see if they have water in them or not."

"How many left, Gi?" Kwame asked.

She counted. "Five."

"_Perfect_," Wheeler said through gritted teeth. "This will only take another week."

"Stop being such an Ogre the Grouch," Linka said.

He grinned. "Oscar, babe. Oscar the Grouch."

"Ogre seems more appropriate," she sniffed. "Anyway, there are five tunnels and five of us. We could split up and meet back here. We all have flashlights and maps, _da_?"

"Be careful," Kwame warned. "Just because we have not seen anyone else down here does not mean we are safe."

"Back here in half an hour?" Wheeler asked, checking his watch.

"Yeah," Gi murmured, folding up her map. "Just take notice of whether or not there is any water – and if it's clean or not. I have an idea of what's going on, but I'm not sure if I'm right or not."

Wheeler pulled Linka to him for a kiss. "Be careful," he warned her.

"You too, Yankee," she answered sweetly. "See you soon."

x

"Ugh! _Bozhe moy_..." Linka kicked the rat away, a feeling of revulsion sweeping over her. She shuddered and crept further down the tunnel. It was narrower than the others, and she had to bend down so as not to hit her head on the curved ceiling. _If Skumm is not behind this I will – well, I am not sure what I will do, but it will be something surprising._

She could hear running water and she shone her flashlight down to where her tunnel met another wide pipe flowing with water, and her eyes widened in surprise.

Clean water, flowing from the ocean, back towards the water treatment plant.

"What on Earth...?" she asked herself. She knelt down to take a closer look, but there was no doubt in her mind the water was clean. She could smell the sharp, salty smell of the sea, and it was clean and strong.

Checking her watch, she hurried back to the others, trying to figure out exactly what was going on.

x

"Huh..." Ma-Ti shone his torch further down the tunnel, but the beam of light showed only dry brick as far as it could go.

"Not even a puddle," he sighed, turning back. Rats scurried away from him. He sent pulses of light after them, but they were no help – unconcerned with the changes in the tunnels, and delighting in having more space to roam now that there were dry pipes to scamper around in.

x

Kwame coughed and held his arm across his nose, using his sleeve to filter the air. The water in the tunnel ahead smelled putrid, and he was relieved the Planeteers hadn't had to encounter it any closer. He could see trash floating on its surface, but it was stagnant and slow – the water was simply sitting there, not running anywhere.

He blinked, his eyes watering, and turned away, heading back to find the others again.

x

Wheeler whistled softly to himself as he made his way along the chamber. It had to be one of the bigger ones, and all evidence so far seemed to indicate it was bone dry. He wanted to get to the end to see where it ended up and whether or not any water lay there, but his flashlight caught another of the large metal seals.

"Ah," he said, running the light over it. "That's that then." He turned back, but jumped violently as there was a loud _clank_ and the seal opened.

"Shit!" he leapt back, expecting torrents of water. But there was nothing. Just another endless stretch of empty darkness.

"Oh, this isn't good," he muttered. He turned and sprinted back the way he came.

x

Gi was in the same chamber, but heading in the opposite direction to the one Wheeler had taken. She was jogging, not sure how far the tunnel ran. The map didn't seem to be to scale. She held it in her fist, her flashlight bobbing as she jogged further down the chamber.

She stopped as she heard a clanking noise ahead, her heart thumping. She shone her flashlight down the chamber.

"Hello?" she called anxiously.

The narrow beam of her flashlight didn't provide her with enough warning. The wall of water hit her hard and tore the flashlight from her grasp, sucking her under and sending her tumbling against the wall. The force of it knocked the breath out of her.

She struggled to find which way was up – needing air desperately. The water was cold, pouring in along the tunnels from the ocean. Seaweed wrapped itself around her leg and hindered her efforts to get to the surface.

She managed to suck a weak breath of air in before she tumbled under again, the water pulling her along rapidly.

She collided with something hard and solid. Whatever it was gave slightly, and the water dragged her further along, until she was hauled up again, strong hands on her arms and her waist, pulling her above the surface of the raging water.

"Hey, little mermaid." Wheeler grinned down at her, water streaming from his hair. "I thought you could swim better than this..."

She choked and clung to him desperately, the water threatening to send them tumbling further down the tunnel. She could see Linka and Kwame looking down at them anxiously from the tunnel above, and Kwame stretched his arm down to them.

Wheeler stumbled and the water dragged him backwards.

"Gi," he coughed. "Little help, please?"

She choked again, water streaming from her mouth. She could barely breathe, let alone talk.

Wheeler struggled against the current and managed to get level with Kwame's outstretched hand again, grasping it firmly, his right arm hooked tightly around Gi's waist. The current tore at them.

"Shit," Wheeler muttered, struggling to pull Gi up. "Don't let go!" he shouted at Kwame over the noise of the rapidly flowing water. "Gi's hurt, she can't use her ring."

She wanted to tell him she was fine – just winded – but the water swirled and tugged at them, pulling them under again.

Kwame heaved them up out of the water, Linka grabbing hold of Gi as she got close enough and pulling her to safety, tumbling backwards in a tangle of arms and legs. Wheeler coughed, on all fours, shaking slightly from the effort of fighting the current.

"Gi?" Linka knelt over her anxiously. "Are you all right?"

Gi nodded and offered a breathless smile. She felt dizzy and frightened, but they had made it out of the water.

"We need to get out of here," Kwame said, giving them no time to recover. "The water is still rising, and other chambers will soon be full."

Linka helped Gi up, and Ma-Ti hooked an arm around her waist, dragging her arm across his shoulders and supporting her as they hurried out of the tunnels.

x

"Sure you're okay?" Wheeler asked, shivering slightly as they waited for Ma-Ti to let the other Planeteers in the back stairwell. There was a decidedly icy bite to the night air. However, walking through the hotel lobby at five in the morning, soaking wet, had been declared a bad idea, so they were forced to wait in the cold. Ma-Ti had slipped inside and had planned to let them in the back way so they could escape up to their rooms unseen.

"Yeah I'm okay," Gi answered, feeling a little embarrassed. "I got knocked over, that's all. I didn't have time to use my ring."

"Lucky I was there," Wheeler said, flashing her a grin. "And my muscles."

She rolled her eyes and grinned back at him. "I'm forever in debt."

"Got that straight, _danbi._ First thing you can do to pay me back is shout me a coffee at breakfast."

She sighed. "First and last thing I'll do in return," she muttered. "Pretty sure if I thought hard about it, I've saved your life before."

He laughed.

x

"Hey, you okay?" Wheeler asked softly, touching Linka's arm as soon as they were in the soft light of their hotel room again. "You're quiet."

She pressed her palms over her eyes. "Oh, I am okay," she admitted fretfully. "It is something stupid."

"Want to share it?" Wheeler asked, stripping his shirt off and ushering her into the bathroom. He had never wanted a shower so desperately.

Linka stripped and stepped into the shower, gnawing on her lower lip, frustrated and embarrassed. "You will laugh at me," she said, her voice echoing slightly around the shower stall.

"I promise I won't," he said, wrapping his arms around her and ducking under the spray. He sighed as warm, clean water ran over them.

"_Nyet_, it is stupid. Never mind, Wheeler." She smiled at him and began to shampoo her hair, and he spent several minutes tracking soapy hands over her skin, until she was squirming against him.

"You weren't hurt down there, were you?" he asked, running his hand over a red mark on her shoulder.

"_Nyet_, it is fine. I fell over when we pulled you out."

He kissed her skin, still waiting for her to tell him what was bothering her. He scrubbed shampoo through his hair and watched her polish her loofah over her limbs, smiling when he followed with his hands and his fingers.

Eventually, he tugged her to him and let the stream of water wash the suds away. "Tell me what's wrong," he pleaded. "You're quiet and you're looking at me like I've done something wrong."

"You did nothing wrong," she promised, winding her arms around his neck and tucking her head beneath his chin. She listened to the water running down the drain.

"But something's bothering you," he pressed.

"It is stupid."

"Tell me anyway."

She hesitated for a long time, but sighed and closed her eyes, flushing with embarrassment. "It is you and Gi."

"Gi?"

"You have so many silly little jokes with her, and things I am not really a part of, and I suppose I am jealous."

"Jealous?" he asked in disbelief. "Of Gi?"

"I told you it was stupid," she mumbled.

He kissed her gently. "What brought this on?" he asked.

She shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "You and I used to be the ones joking around and sharing silly moments. Now it seems like you and Gi are doing it instead."

"Well, we have a big thing in common," he murmured, his lips against her forehead.

"What is it?" Linka asked, hating herself for being worried and jealous.

"We both love you." He smiled down at her. "Are you really that worried? It's Gi, babe. She's one of my best friends."

She smiled, and buried her face in his neck, feeling ridiculous. "I know. I am sorry, Wheeler. The past few days have not been easy. I have been thinking about Mishka a lot, and how I have lost him... I do not want to lose you too."

"You won't," he promised. "And you won't lose Gi, either."

She groaned. "Please do not tell her I was worried about something so stupid."

He chuckled. "I won't. I'm kinda flattered, though. It's nice knowing you get a little jealous now and then."

"I do not like myself for being jealous of Gi," she said miserably. "I cannot help it, sometimes. Sometimes I miss the way things were between _us_."

"You're kidding, right?" he asked. "That was awful. I don't want to go back to bickering and useless flirting that doesn't result in anything. And I certainly don't want to go back to a time where you wouldn't let me touch you like this." He cupped her breast and she smacked him away and rolled her eyes with a smile, stepping out of the shower and dragging a towel around her body.

He ducked his head under the water one last time and turned the tap off, following her with a grin. "So there's nobody else you're jealous of? That receptionist downstairs who kept touching my arm last night? That waitress who kept bringing me drinks?"

"Oh, shut up, Yankee," she said, smiling over her shoulder at him. She sank onto the edge of the bed, clutching the towel around her. Her face became serious and thoughtful again. "What was it like, visiting Gi in Seoul?" she asked quietly.

"I was working, so it was hard to catch up properly," he admitted, flopping down beside her. "I was only there for a few days. And whenever we managed to see each other, I drilled her for information about _you_. What you were doing and had she heard from you, and did you ever mention me... I couldn't stop thinking about you and I missed you like crazy. It _hurt_, missing you like that. But Gi had no idea. You'd moved to London by then and neither of us knew about it. She'd heard about your grandmother, somehow, and she'd tried to reach you since, but you'd gone."

She leaned her head on his shoulder. "It had been so long since I had spoken to either of you. I did not think you would care anymore."

He hugged her tightly to him. "I've _always_ cared about you," he said. "I always will. Wife-to-be."

She smiled and he kissed the end of her nose. "Are you wearing that towel to breakfast?"

She pushed him away, muttering in Russian, and he chuckled and fell back onto the bed as she disappeared back into the bathroom.

"Do not get the bed wet!" she called back to him. "Dry yourself off!"

He grinned to himself and sighed.

**XX**


	9. Chapter 9

**Lots of hits on that last chapter, but no reviews! Was it really that bad? D: Let me know if it is! Constructive criticism helps me improve! :p**

**Anyway, here is chapter nine. There's a little bit of language in this one, but I figure you guys are probably expecting that in every chapter now ;)**

**xx  
**

"Okay, here," Gi said, clicking the lid back onto her pen. She slid her hastily-drawn map across the table so everyone could lean over it.

"See? Water's being transported back into the treatment plant from the ocean. The dry tunnels will probably open up again at some stage and transport the water back out – but it'll be dirty – like the water Kwame saw."

"Someone's taking clean water and using the treatment plant to pollute it?" Ma-Ti asked, wrinkling his nose. "How is that even possible?"

"They're probably over-using the chemicals available there," Gi suggested. "And let's not forget New York is a big place. There are plenty of people here who need their trash and their waste disposed of. Who knows how far those tunnels go – water and waste could be channelled along from other places even when it's meant to end up somewhere else, miles away."

"I think we need to get inside the plant itself," Kwame said slowly. "It feels strange that nobody has noticed this before."

"_Bozhe moy_," Linka exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the television over the counter. "There is our answer!"

Wheeler leaned forward to read the text bar at the bottom of the screen.

_NYC pays Verminous LTD to clear polluted coastal waters with new chemical technology._

"I knew it was Skumm," Ma-Ti said darkly – but he gasped when a face appeared on the screen.

"Our company promises to reverse the effects of the damaged treatment plant," Sly Sludge was promising, beaming into the camera. "Our new technology – though extremely expensive – will clear up the mess in a few short days. We've already shown you evidence that the chemicals previously used have leached into the ocean. We won't be as careless. Our chemicals won't harm existing eco-systems. The coast will soon be pristine – we guarantee it."

Gi swore loudly in Korean, causing a nearby tourist to turn around in alarm.

"I bet Skumm has bailed Sludge out of jail in return for a face for his company," Linka said in disgust. "I suppose it is hard for a mutant _rat_ to sell clean technology..."

"And they've brought fresh water in from the ocean, tainted it with chemicals and released it again – telling the media the plant is faulty," Gi deducted.

"Great," Wheeler muttered angrily. "All that work we did with Sludge two weeks ago turned out to be for nothing." He slumped back against the cushioned booth miserably. "We've gotta get the laws sorted or something. It's ridiculous having these guys let go so soon after they've been thrown in jail."

"Corruption is what is wrong," Kwame said, sounding unusually disheartened. "And it is a world-wide problem."

"So they polluted the water and now they're charging the city to get it all cleaned up again," Gi said bitterly.

"I bet they do not clean it," Linka said, clenching her fists. "The ocean will have endless chemicals pumped into it and Skumm and Sludge will skip town with cash in their pockets."

All of them felt utterly exhausted, all of a sudden.

"Let's sleep on it," Wheeler grumbled. "Maybe we'll feel better in a few hours and we can figure out what to do next."

The others wearily agreed, paying the bill for their breakfast and trudging back to the hotel, silently fuming and despairing at the thought of having to overcome Sludge again so soon after locking him away.

x

_He was trembling. It was freezing and he was in pain and it was dark. He was alone and scared and something bad was going to happen. Something bad was coming down a steep flight of dark steps, and it was going to take him away – take him away from Linka and he'd never see her again._

_It was coming, and terror welled up inside him._

x-x

Wheeler cried out when he woke this time, sitting bolt upright.

Linka sat up too, her eyes wide with alarm. "What is it?" she asked frantically. "Is something wrong?"

He clapped a hand over his heart and flopped back into the pillows. "Bad dream," he gasped.

"Again?" she asked worriedly. "What are you dreaming about?"

"Nothing, just stupid stuff," he assured her. "I'm okay. Just over-tired, I think." He curled an arm around her, encouraging her to fold her body along his.

"Was it the same dream you had before we went to London?" Linka asked quietly.

"I don't remember, babe," he lied.

She made a small noise that indicated she didn't believe him, but she didn't push it any further.

"What time is it?" he asked, feeling as though he could drift off to sleep again.

"Half-past ten," Linka informed him. "Go back to sleep, _solnyshko moyo_."

He felt her stroke his hair gently, and his heart calmed, his breath deepening again until sleep overtook him. Linka watched him worriedly, and promised herself she would talk to Ma-Ti later.

_He_ had suffered strange dreams too, and she wanted to know exactly what they were.

x

It was mid-afternoon, and the Planeteers were meeting in the lobby to organise a late lunch and plan their movements for the coming night.

"If we are breaking into the treatment plant tonight, you should call your mother now," Linka said, reminding Wheeler of his promise. "You will not get time, later."

He checked his watch. "Yeah, I guess you're right." He squeezed her hand and moved away, dialling his cell phone.

Linka immediately sank into the vacant chair beside Ma-Ti. "I need to talk to you," she whispered.

"What's wrong, Linka?" he asked in alarm.

"Wheeler's dreams," Linka said, her eyes wide. "He has had dreams for weeks now. He does not always wake up, but he is restless, and he groans as though he is in pain."

Ma-Ti lowered his eyes. "I know. I feel it too."

"What is it?" Linka asked pleadingly. "What is frightening him so much? He will not tell me..."

Ma-Ti shrugged apologetically. "It is dark," he said. "And he is frightened. There is sometimes a woman with dark hair. She is connected to you, somehow."

"Connected to me?"

"Yes. She decides whether or not he gets to see you again. She wants to take him away..."

Linka blinked, confused.

"She's not answering," Wheeler said, interrupting suddenly. His eyes glanced from Ma-Ti to Linka, and she flushed. He understood instantly and he glowered as he sank into the chair opposite her.

Luckily, Kwame and Gi entered the lobby, saving the trio from a tense silence.

"Better call your mother," Gi said cheerfully. "You'll be too busy breaking-and-entering to do it later on."

He held up his cell phone. "Just did. Left a message."

"Let's go and find some lunch," Ma-Ti said, feeling a little awkward. "I'm hungry."

x

It was lucky Gi was so irate with Skumm and Sludge – she kept the conversation going, not noticing the tension between Wheeler and Linka or the anxious look on Ma-Ti's face.

"Right, so there are tunnels to pull fresh water in from the ocean," she said, making new marks on the paper. "It gets taken into the treatment plant and mixed with the chemicals that are meant to treat the dirty water. When the water out along the coast is tested, there are unusually high levels of algaecides and disinfectants. So now people are panicking and thinking that suddenly the existing methods for treating waste water are turning out to be worse for the environment than untreated water is in the first place.

"There are _also_ unusually high levels of sewage and waste, falsely indicating that the existing chemicals aren't doing their job properly. As far as the media and the public are concerned, the treatment plant has made everything worse."

She sighed and shuffled papers. "There are articles here about the city becoming aware of it, and there was an investigation launched, but it didn't come to anything. Then Sludge appeared on the scene a few days ago with this new wonder-chemical. Apparently there was a demonstration and it dissolved just about every chemical in the sample tank he had set up. Everyone fell over one another to get to him and pay him to take care of the problems at the plant."

"But really, it is Skumm beneath all of this?" Kwame asked, a little unsure.

"Sludge hasn't been here long enough to put in the planning behind this," Gi reasoned. "And Skumm's name is attached to this everywhere. I think he's just using Sludge to sell it to the city."

"So we get into the plant tonight and get rid of Skumm and Sludge, and the plant will get back to normal as soon as it's in the hands of someone competent," Wheeler said tiredly.

Gi looked at him carefully for a moment, as though she wanted to enquire whether or not he was okay. Instead, she continued, deciding to ignore it for the moment. "Yeah, basically. We'll get in there and find him, send Cap after him, and the city will have to hand the plant over to someone else. As soon as they get in there and Skumm's not around to hide what he's been doing, they'll realise what's going on."

Wheeler toyed with his fork. "Easy peasy."

Kwame smiled and shook his head. "If you say so."

"Well," Ma-Ti said tiredly, "If we're going to have such a busy night, I suggest we spend the rest of the day catching up on sleep."

"Let's meet in the lobby at eleven," Gi agreed. "Then we can get to the plant and figure out the security situation."

They split, but Wheeler went ahead of Linka, his hands in his pockets and his head bowed.

She felt a spark of anger towards him.

"Sorry," Ma-Ti cringed, walking alongside her.

"_Nyet_, it is not your fault Ma-Ti," she said kindly. "I should have known he would react like this. I did not want to go behind his back, but I am so worried about him..."

Ma-Ti squeezed her hand comfortingly. "Go and talk to him."

She nodded and smiled briefly at him before she entered the room she and Wheeler shared, closing the door softly behind her.

He was sitting at the window, staring out to the street below.

"What is wrong?" Linka asked, knowing full-well what was wrong.

"Nothing," he grumbled.

"You are annoyed with me, _da_?"

"Yeah, Linka, I'm annoyed with you!" he replied, glaring at the floor instead of looking at her.

"Well I am annoyed with you too," she snapped, angry with him for being angry with her. "I wish you would stop hiding things from me – no matter how small it may seem."

"It's just a dream," he said in frustration.

"A dream you have night after night," she answered furiously. "You do not always wake up, you know. Sometimes you just lie there groaning as though you are hurt, and frightened."

He tightened his jaw, feeling a cutting humiliation from this new information.

"Would you like it if I was having nightmares and I refused to speak to you about it?" she asked.

"Can you drop it, please?" he asked, settling his glare onto her.

"Why will you not talk to me?" she asked desperately. "I do not understand –"

"You know what, Linka?" he asked, his patience snapping in two. "I don't have to share every single little thing with you. And I'd appreciate it if you remembered that next time, instead of running off to Ma-Ti for a fucking mind-reading."

She blinked, and staggered slightly on the spot, and he knew he'd gone too far.

She spun on her heel and wrenched the door open, slamming it behind her.

**XX**


	10. Chapter 10

**Thanks for the reviews, and all the alerts & favourites, you guys! :) **

**xx**

Wheeler looked up when he heard the door open, expecting to see Linka. Instead, it was Gi, and she looked furious.

"She sent you to yell at me, did she?" he asked sourly, turning his attention back to the newspaper on the table.

"Don't give me that," Gi snapped, pulling the paper away and throwing herself into the chair opposite him. "You're being a jackass, you know that?"

"I wish I'd never used that word around you," he muttered, sitting back and crossing his arms.

"Shut up, Wheeler. I mean it. Linka's just had an enormous argument with her brother because he refuses to talk to her about his fears and his grief. And now you're doing what is basically the same thing."

"It's completely different!" he said, horrified. "I'm not the dickhead trying to cut her out of my life."

She blinked at the new word he'd just thrust into her vocabulary.

"_And_," he continued, "I'm not grieving. So throw a new theory at me, Doctor Kim."

"Mishka didn't cut Linka out of his life immediately," Gi snarled at him. "You know that better than I do, genius. He stopped answering her calls. He told her work was busy. He stopped coming around for dinner, and stopped coming to help her care for her grandmother, telling her Natalya needed him at home. It was a gradual process and it started because he never _once_ explained to her that he was scared. He didn't tell her he hated watching someone grow so ill."

Wheeler cringed as her voice rose.

"The point is, instead of talking to her about what was frightening him, he shut himself away. And it shouldn't have accelerated to the point it did, but hey. Mishka's a pretty intense guy, from what I can gather. I think he's pretty hard on himself. It's hard for him to admit he's being a _dickhead_ and come back and apologise to her after the things he's done."

"It's just a goddamn dream," Wheeler snapped. "It's not going to cause a huge rift, okay? I'm not as dumb as that."

"Yeah well go and explain that to your fiancée," Gi said darkly. "She's in tears, on my bed."

Wheeler's heart sank, but he still felt a small flare of stubbornness. "She shouldn't have gone to Ma-Ti."

"Are you serious?" Gi snapped. "What would you have done? Don't sit there and tell me you'd be taking this calmly if the roles were reversed. If you knew she was having nightmares night after night, and they were frightening and real enough to wake her from sleep, you'd be pretty worried about it."

She got to her feet and tossed the newspaper back to him. "She was just trying to do the right thing," she said, talking over her shoulder as she stalked to the door. "She's worried about you. And now she's worried you're going to clam up and freeze her out as an encore to Mishka's performance."

She closed the door tightly behind her, and Wheeler became aware of the fact his heart was racing. He swallowed and rubbed his palms on his thighs.

"Shit," he muttered.

x*x

"I should not have gone to Ma-Ti," Linka mumbled, her voice half-lost in Gi's pillow.

"He would have done the same thing," Gi comforted, stroking Linka's hair gently.

"I do not understand why he will not talk to me about it," Linka said anxiously. "Sometimes I think I am pushing him too hard for things that do not really matter. But he is not sleeping well..."

"Probably the reason he's so grumpy," Gi muttered, her eyes focused on the muted television. She kept her fingers running soothingly through her friend's hair.

"I have overreacted," Linka sighed.

"He did as well," Gi pressed, feeling more loyal towards Linka than she did towards Wheeler. "It's not a big deal, Linka. He just doesn't want you to think he's frightened of things. He wants to pretend he's okay because he doesn't want you to worry. That's why he won't tell you about the dream. You know how stupid nightmares are. They feel so real when they're happening, but if you try to explain them, they sound stupid."

"I know," Linka sighed. She rubbed her eyes. "I should have known he would react badly if he found out I had asked Ma-Ti. It was deceitful of me."

"He'll get over it," Gi comforted. "He's not really mad. He's just tired. And feeling a bit guilty, I think, because he finally realised how worried you were about him."

Linka nodded tiredly, and a fresh tear rolled across her cheek. "Do you think he will talk to me if I go back?" she asked in a small voice. She couldn't help but conjure up images of Wheeler packing and leaving her without saying goodbye.

"It's just a silly little misunderstanding," Gi said. "It's not so bad he'll stop talking to you."

"Things with Mishka started as a silly little misunderstanding," Linka whispered hoarsely.

"Wheeler's not Mishka."

"_Mishka_ does not seem like Mishka," Linka sobbed. "Gi, why does everyone leave? I was so alone for those four years. And I know it was my fault because I did not contact any of you, but it was awful, the things I had to go through. And then I got to London and Robert – who was supposed to be my friend – turned out to be so awful to me... And even Caitlin will only talk to me when it is convenient for _her._"

"Shh, hey," Gi said in dismay, scooting down to lie alongside her friend. She wrapped her arms tightly around Linka. "Wheeler loves you," she soothed. "He's an idiot, but he loves you, and he's going to make sure you and he stick together. Everyone fights now and then, Linka. It's normal. What happened with Mishka – that's not the result of normal arguing."

"Hm," Linka sighed. She was exhausted. Part of her wanted to go back to find Wheeler, but she was comfortable, and Gi's arms were secure and calming. Besides – she was afraid of making things worse if she went to find him.

x*x

Linka blinked. She was cold, and the room was silvery with moonlight. She jumped slightly as Wheeler bent over her.

"Hey, babe," he whispered. "Awake?"

She nodded, and sat up. She was still in Gi's room – but Gi wasn't there. It was quiet, and moonlight and the lights from the city spilled in the window.

"Ever had a nightmare like the one I've had?" Wheeler whispered, stroking her pale cheek with his thumb. "I had the worst dream of my life – my fiancée left me because I was such a jackass."

She gave him a weak smile. "I had a similar dream," she answered, her voice soft. "I am glad to be awake."

He chuckled. "Me too." He kissed her forehead. "I'm sorry, baby," he whispered. "I didn't know you were so worried. I thought I could keep bluffing it off and you wouldn't care about it so much."

She buried her face in his shoulder. "Of course I am worried," she said, her voice muffled. "You would be worried if the nightmares were mine, would you not?"

He curled his arms around her and hugged her tightly. "Come on," he mumbled. "Let's go back to our room. We've only got a couple of hours before we have to go and track a giant rat down, and I think you and I need to talk."

She nodded and followed him, still feeling drained. "Where is Gi?" she asked tiredly.

Wheeler keyed the door to their room open. "I just sent her downstairs. She's probably kicking Kwame's ass at a game of pool right now."

Linka smiled and shut the door behind her.

"Come on," Wheeler murmured. He dragged her gently into the middle of the bed and wrapped his arms around her, resting his mouth gently against her forehead.

She closed her eyes and they lay there together for a long time, holding each other quietly.

"I am sorry I went to Ma-Ti," she whispered.

"I'm sorry I kept fobbing you off," he sighed in response. "Truth is, babe, I don't remember much about the dream when I wake up. It's just a dream. And they rarely come true, you know."

She smiled and took his hand, finding it immediately without opening her eyes. "Sometimes they do, Yankee."

He chuckled. "Yeah, sometimes."

"Ma-Ti has had the same dream."

"I know."

"He said it is dark, and you are hurting?"

"Mm-hm."

"And there is a woman with dark hair."

"I think so," he said slowly. "She doesn't always appear. But I can always feel her there, you know? She's like your opposite."

She felt him shudder and she hugged him tightly.

"Sounds stupid, doesn't it," he said miserably.

"_Nyet_," she comforted. "Dreams can seem very real."

"I don't know what started it," he sighed. "I wish they'd stop."

She kissed him gently. "Tell me what you remember," she whispered.

He sighed in resignation. "It's dark," he said. "And it's cold – like, really cold. I'm in this little room and it's down deep somewhere, because when the woman comes to get me she comes down this big flight of steps."

"She is coming to fetch you for something?" Linka asked.

"She's gonna take me away somewhere." His arms tightened around her, though he wasn't aware of it. "And I know if she takes me I won't get to see you again."

Linka rolled him gently onto his back, propping herself up and leaning over his chest to gaze down at him. "Am I in the dream?"

"No," he murmured, pulling his fingers gently through her hair. "But I know this other woman has raced to get to me and if she takes me away I'm never going to see you again."

"Where does she want to take you?"

"I don't know."

"Does she speak to you?"

"No."

"Is there anyone else there?"

He hesitated a moment. "I'm not sure," he said. "Sometimes it feels like there's someone else there and I try to ask them not to let her in..." He looked up at her tiredly. "It's hard to remember," he said.

"Okay," she whispered. "Enough, then." She kissed his brow. "Nightmare is over, Yankee."

He chuckled and traced her nose with his index finger. "Nightmare's about to begin, babe," he murmured in response. "We've gotta go and find Skumm soon."

Her face fell. "When?"

He glanced at his watch. "Bit less than an hour. We have to meet the others in the lobby at eleven."

She slid her leg over him and shifted her weight, cupping his face and kissing him firmly. "We have plenty of time," she whispered.

"Oh, good," he sighed, rolling over again and pinning her beneath him. "I've got a question for you, though," he whispered, brushing his nose against hers softly.

"What is it?" she asked dreamily, letting him pin her hands gently over her head.

"Remember when I swore revenge for that 'noisy idiot' remark you made on the beach?"

Her eyes widened slightly and he grinned.

"Time's up, babe."

She shrieked as his fingers began tickling under her arms and against her ribs, but he pinned her expertly, keeping her wriggling beneath him, giggling helplessly.

**XX**


	11. Chapter 11

**Aww, thanks for the reviews, guys! It's fun watching you trying to guess what's coming up! I hope you're not disappointed ;)**

**x*x  
**

Despite knowing that each of the Planeteers were aware the dangers already, Kwame had warned them all to be careful, unable to let them out of his sight without stressing the dangers. They had all listened patiently, knowing it was part of the routine, and a way for him to calm himself before they all split up and entered the building through the only two vantage points they could find.

"Do you ever stop to wonder if Kwame really thinks we're idiots?" Wheeler whispered to Linka, boosting her up to the window they had spotted.

"_Nyet_," she murmured in return, squinting into the dark room. "He knows we are careful. He just needs to talk it out with us..." She jiggled the lock, still warm and soft from Wheeler's attention moments earlier, and it gave completely.

She swung the window out and slid through quietly before offering her hand to him and helping him up behind her.

The air inside the treatment plant was stifling, though it had nothing to do with temperature. The strong, burning smell of chlorine clouded the air, and machinery hummed and hissed as chemicals ran undiluted through pipes and into the underground system that led to the ocean.

"It's dark in here," Wheeler whispered unnecessarily.

"Skumm does not favour the light," Linka answered with a sigh. "We will get used to it, Yankee. Flashlights will be too easy for the security to spot..."

"Yeah," he sighed, leading the way to the door. He peeked out into the corridor and the smell of chlorine hit him again.

"Whoa," he coughed, smothering the noise in his sleeve. "There are some seriously heavy amounts of chemicals coming through here."

"Straight into the ocean," Linka moaned. "We need to stop him _now_."

Wheeler nodded and took her hand, and they slipped out into the corridor.

Having individually followed careers that dealt with similar situations, both of the Planeteers were well-accustomed to nights such as this one. And the ability to read each other without speaking, and being able to work in silence and stealth, ensured the couple made their way into the main chambers of the building quickly.

"So far so good," Wheeler breathed. "How long until the others get here?"

"It may take them longer," Linka whispered. "But when they come up it will be over there. See the grate?" She pointed, and he nodded.

There was a wide grate in the floor at the end of the room, and Wheeler and Linka hid nearby, waiting for the other Planeteers to signal that they had made it through the tunnels below.

Suddenly, the door at the other end of the room slammed open, and Sludge stalked in, obviously in a bad mood.

"Do this, do that," he muttered. "I knew I should have made Ooze come. _He _should be doing the legwork..." He paused at the control panel.

Linka gasped quietly and clutched Wheeler's arm. "He is changing the water flow!" she whispered. "What if he sends water through the chamber Gi and the others are in?"

"She said it was safe," Wheeler said anxiously. "She said they'd be okay..."

They were so caught up in their sudden attack of nerves, they didn't notice Skumm enter the room behind them.

"Planeteers!" he roared.

Wheeler nearly jumped out of his skin, and Linka screamed aloud as Skumm hauled her backwards.

"Let her go!" Wheeler ordered instantly, holding his ring out.

"Sludge!" Skumm growled, ignoring Wheeler. "Push the water through the eastern chamber."

"Now?" Sludge asked, eyeing the Planeteers nervously.

"According to the little conversation I overheard, that's where the others are." Skumm shook Linka violently and she attempted to spin around and blast him with her ring – but he shoved her against the wall, crushing her hand uselessly against her own body.

"You son of a bitch," Wheeler snarled. "_Fire_!" Skumm ducked as the streak of red light sank into the brick around him, sending up the hot, burning smell of stone.

"_Nyet,_ Wheeler!" Linka cried. "Find the others, hurry!"

He hesitated and she shrieked at him again as Skumm pinned her heavily against the wall. She saw anxiety cross Wheeler's face as he threw the grate in the floor open. He didn't want to leave her, but time was not on their side now, and they needed the others.

"I'll be back," he promised, and he jumped down into the dark, disappearing from sight.

"Open the seals!" Skumm growled at Sludge, spinning around and dragging Linka with him.

"_Wind_!"

Sludge gave a cry of terror as Linka sent him tumbling across the room, away from the blinking control panel.

Skumm growled and grabbed her wrist, wrenching it up behind her back and pinning her arm up between her shoulder blades.

"Sludge!" he barked. "Open the seals and flush the Planeteers out before they get up here! Now!"

Sludge coughed weakly and staggered to his feet, grumbling to himself.

Linka was almost positive there were too many chemicals in the air and in the tunnels below, but she tried to contact Ma-Ti anyway, spurred on by the thought that her own ring was working, even if it felt weaker than usual.

_Ma-Ti, get out of the tunnels! They are sending water through and you are trapped..._

She got no response and she kicked and fought in desperation as Skumm carried her easily out of the main chamber. She heard Sludge release the water. It rumbled through the wide tunnels below them and she cried out anxiously, hoping that the others had made it to safety.

x*x

The Planeteers were trapped – but safe. Kwame had collapsed the tunnel in around them as soon as they'd heard the roar of water, and the wall of stone and soil had blocked the water and backed it up.

"So is this an improvement or not?" Wheeler asked anxiously. "We have to get back to Linka..."

He was still breathing heavily – he'd only just reached the other Planeteers seconds before the roar of water echoed its way down the chamber towards them.

"There's another tunnel further back," Gi said, recalling the layout of the map. "But hurry. All that water has to go somewhere, and the chambers down here will fill up fast."

"You can't send it away?" Wheeler asked, running alongside her as they sprinted back along the tunnel, Gi's flashlight bobbing and bouncing with each step.

"Too many chemicals around for me to make much difference," she answered. "Don't you feel weaker down here?"

He didn't want to admit that the strength of their rings was weaker. That meant trouble, and being separated from Linka _and_ having trouble with his powers made him feel sick. Despite having made up with her in the best way possible, he couldn't help but remember the cruel words he had thrown at Linka earlier that afternoon. He didn't want to be separated from her with his guilt still hanging over his head.

"Here!" Gi said, stopping suddenly. Wheeler slammed into her from behind and they crashed into the shallow water together.

"Awesome," he coughed. "Scraped hands and knees when I go to dinner with my mom." He heaved Gi up. "You okay?"

"Uh-huh," she wheezed. "Quick."

They scrambled up into the tunnel, forced to crawl along the narrow space.

"Gi, where does this lead us?" Kwame asked breathlessly. "Will it be somewhere near Linka?"

"I don't know," Gi cringed. "I hope so."

"Anything you can add, little buddy?" Wheeler asked, casting his voice back to Ma-Ti.

Ma-Ti smiled. "She is okay, so far, Wheeler. And I think she has given Sludge a concussion."

Wheeler grinned, feeling a little better all of a sudden.

x*x

Linka braced herself against the wall, holding her ring steady. "Do not come any closer," she threatened Skumm. "You saw what happened."

Skumm cast a nervous glance to Sludge, who was lying on the floor groaning.

She had managed to wrench herself out of Skumm's grasp when he'd reached for a coil of rope to tie her wrists – and though it was harder to use her ring in the atmosphere the chemicals had created – she had thrown Sludge backwards and knocked the two of them over like bowling pins. Sludge had hit his head and Skumm had been ordering him to get up for several minutes now.

He twisted the rope in his hands. "Give it up, Planeteer," he said, ignoring Sludge's groaning. "Your friends have been swept out to sea by now – drowned, probably. Like rats." He chuckled, and his eyes glinted in the dim light. "Time for you to join them."

She glared at him, but Sludge interrupted, staggering to his feet.

"No," he said, rubbing the back of his head. "She's just delayed our plan for profit. But I've heard Plunder's got plans."

"Plunder?" Skumm asked, his voice a hiss in the dark. "What are you talking about?"

Sludge rubbed his head again and leaned in, murmuring. Linka watched nervously as Skumm chuckled.

"Even split of the profit?" he asked, his yellow eyes widening slightly.

Sludge shrugged. "Sounds good to me. He'll have to pay us if he really wants her, and I'd rather make money out of her than have to explain her body washing up somewhere." He leered at Linka. "Come here, sweetheart," he chuckled. "There's a delivery to be made."

"Tempting as that sounds, I think she's going to turn you down, Sludge," Wheeler drawled, leaning against the doorjamb.

Linka felt relief flood through her. "You took your time," she said, raising her eyebrow.

"Had to find this." He tossed a fire extinguisher at Skumm, who caught it purely as a reflex.

"Here you go," Wheeler said. "Thought I'd give that to you first, and give you a fighting chance."

Sludge took a nervous step backwards. "Or maybe we should forget the delivery," he said.

"What delivery is that?" Wheeler asked. "And don't worry about the back door, Sludge. Gi's got it covered, and as I recall, she beached you pretty well last time we met."

Sludge glowered. "Why bother with a little water contamination when you have _much_ bigger problems?" he asked.

Skumm tossed the fire extinguisher aside and chuckled. "That's right," he said. "You should hunt Plunder down." His eyes slid across to Linka.

"I am not in the mood for cryptic clues and messages," Linka said, slipping behind Wheeler and feeling less exposed now that he was there. "What has Plunder got to do with this? Is he hiding around here, too?"

"Not yet," Sludge said, grinning stupidly. "Once he finds out you're here, I'm sure he'll be on the next flight."

Skumm laughed and Wheeler rolled his eyes.

"Enough of this," he said. "Kwame!"

"Let our powers combine!"

"Ah, shit," Sludge said. "I'm outta here."

x*x

"So what's Plunder's involvement in all of this?" Gi asked in confusion.

Captain Planet landed gently beside them. "I'm not sure there is one," he said, looking around. "This is all taken care of, Planeteers. Sludge and Skumm are both in the hands of the authorities, and the seals Skumm put in place have been removed. The collapsed tunnel is clear again, and the chemicals are all sealed up. As soon as the plant starts up again, things will be back to normal."

"And the coast?" Gi asked anxiously. "Is there much damage?"

"Not as much as you might think," Cap soothed her gently. "It'll recover, Gi. You all got here just in time."

"Thank you, Captain Planet," Linka breathed tiredly.

"Go and get some sleep, Planeteers. The power is yours."

"How long before Skumm and Sludge are back on the street?" Wheeler asked bitterly, watching the power return to his ring.

"It is disheartening, Wheeler," Kwame agreed. "But we cannot give up just because corruption ensures they are not held for long."

"I wish Cap had just thrown them into the sun," Wheeler muttered, stifling a yawn.

Gi checked her watch. "Time for bed," she declared. "Let's meet for brunch later and figure out what we should do next."

"What we should do next is celebrate Wheeler's mother's birthday," Ma-Ti said, smiling at the Fire Planeteer.

"I agree," Linka said immediately, wrapping her arms around her fiancé's waist.

"Excellent," Gi said, agreeing. "I could use some light entertainment."

"You're staying away from my mother, Gi," Wheeler warned, leading them all out into the clean dark of the night.

**XX**


	12. Chapter 12

**Glad the last chapter was okay - but don't worry! There's a bigger mission around the corner ;) I just needed one to warm things up a bit ;p**

**I did ask on the forums a while back about Wheeler's mother's name, but as far as we could all tell, it was never revealed. So I made one up, and I think that's the only thing in this chapter that could cause possible offence. ;)**

Wheeler answered his cell with a smile. "Hey, Ma. Happy birthday."

She laughed. "Thank you. I'm almost there, are you ready?"

"_I_ am," he said proudly. "I'm pretty sure Linka is too, but she's disappeared. I think she and Gi are plotting something."

His mother laughed. "Well it's okay. I'll see you in ten minutes or so?"

"Yeah, Linka and I will meet you downstairs and the others will join us later."

"Okay. See you soon, honey."

He hung up and went in search of his fiancée. They'd all spent most of the day catching up on sleep and nursing their new cuts and bruises. He looked ruefully down at his hands now – though it hadn't been as bad as he'd thought it was going to be. Just a rough scrape on the heel of his right hand, and a bruise on his elbow from scrambling through the narrow underground tunnels.

He made his way to Gi's room and she opened the door with a glare that wasn't even remotely serious.

"Hello, sunshine," Wheeler smirked. "Is Linka in here?"

"Yeah, she's using _my makeup_," Gi said, grinning and directing her sentence into the bathroom. Wheeler heard his fiancée make a smug remark in return.

"Zip me up, please?" Gi asked suddenly, turning around. "I can't get this stupid thing done up myself."

He fastened the zip on her dress (a pretty, floaty blue number) and kissed the top of her head, moving past her and into the room so he could shut the door. "Am I ready before you, babe?" he asked in delight.

Linka's voice came floating sweetly back to him from the bathroom. "That depends, Yankee. Is your tie on straight?"

"As a pin," he promised. He heard the clatter of makeup products on the counter, and Linka finally emerged.

"Oh, pretty," Wheeler sighed.

Linka smiled at him. "Thank you, Yankee. You do not look so bad yourself." She kissed the corner of his mouth and felt his hand move to the small of her back.

She was wearing another of the dresses she had bought in London. It was a soft cream colour, falling to the floor in gentle drapes, hiding her legs but hugging the curves of her hips and waist. Her hair was softly curled and glossy, pale gold under the warm lights of the room.

Gi cleared her throat, loudly.

"You're pretty too," Wheeler said. "The Americans, though unfortunately not to your taste, are going to be falling over themselves to get to you."

She rolled her eyes and laughed. "Go and meet your mother. We'll meet up with you again after dinner." She pointed at Linka and winked. "Tell me everything."

Linka laughed and grabbed Wheeler's hand. "I will."

"Hey," he complained. "I'm your fiancé; anything my mother tells you should be kept within the family."

"Gi _is_ family," Linka teased.

"Yeah, a bratty sister," Wheeler muttered.

Gi threw a pillow at him as he and Linka left. "You'll pay for that when I see you later!" she called. Then, her silly mood falling by the wayside for a moment: "Have a good time!"

x*x

"He was a good boy, really," Kitty said, tousling Wheeler's hair gently. "Though he used to disappear a lot, which caused me a lot of worry. God only knows what he used to get up to."

"Quiet, Kit-Dog, or you won't get dessert," Wheeler muttered out of the corner of his mouth.

His mother laughed and poked him. "Don't call me names. Show a bit of respect."

He smiled at her and Linka watched them both in amusement. It was obvious they were close, and she felt sorry that they were forced to spend so much time so far away from one another. They had been bickering back-and-forth all evening, but it was good-natured, and a game they obviously played frequently.

"I hope you keep him in line when I'm not around, Linka," Kitty said, smiling at her future daughter-in-law.

"_Da_, I try," Linka answered. "He is stubborn."

"Easily bribed though," Wheeler said, giving her a cheeky grin.

"_Bozhe moy_," Linka sighed. "Eat your peas."

Kitty chuckled and glanced from Linka back to her son. They had been sharing fleeting looks and smiles all evening, and it warmed her heart to see her son so happy.

"So have you set a date for the wedding, yet?" she asked curiously.

"_Nyet_, not yet." Linka looked a little pained at this, and turned her attention back to her chicken.

"We're waiting to see if Linka's brother can make it," Wheeler said, sounding calmer than he felt. He still got angry whenever he thought of Mishka. "His wife is pregnant so the timing is a bit difficult."

Linka shot him a grateful look and he smiled gently at her.

"Children can complicate things," Kitty said.

"Oh, jeez, Ma," Wheeler said, spluttering. "Don't start."

"Start what?" she asked innocently, dabbing her mouth with her napkin.

Wheeler rubbed his forehead and Linka laughed.

Kitty took Wheeler's hand suddenly. "Your dad would be proud of you," she whispered softly.

Linka watched as a cloud swept across Wheeler's face.

"Don't do that," he murmured, avoiding his mother's eyes.

"It's true, honey."

Linka took his other hand under the table and squeezed it, and he felt the sick feeling in his stomach ease slightly. He nodded and Kitty kissed his cheek.

x*x

Their plates had been cleared away, and they had all entered that dreamy state that falls upon someone after a full, warm meal.

"How dangerous is it?" Kitty asked after a while, disturbing the daze Wheeler was in.

"Hm?" he asked, shifting his attention back to her.

"Your job. You've got those cuts and scrapes on your hands. How dangerous is it, exactly?"

"Mom –"

"Don't avoid the question," she said sternly. "Tell me the truth."

"It can be dangerous," he relented. "But we're careful. We look after one another."

Linka nodded. "We have had many strange and dangerous adventures," she said, smiling a little. "It has always worked out in our favour."

"Exactly," Wheeler said firmly.

"Well what if it doesn't, one day?" Kitty asked worriedly. "What if something terrible happens?"

"Terrible things happen to people with boring jobs, too, you know," Wheeler reasoned. "Don't worry, okay, Ma? I look after myself. And Linka looks after me twice as hard."

She smiled at him across the table, but a slight crease appeared in her brow as she noticed something his mother had missed. A slightly glazed, frightened look in his eyes.

_Cold, and pain, and Linka isn't here and she's never going to find me and I'm all alone, and they're going to take me away, away, away..._

He shook himself slightly, the memory of the dream hitting him with a sudden, unwelcome force.

He turned to his mother, seeking distraction in the guise of more conversation. "Good birthday, Ma?"

"Fantastic birthday," she smiled, kissing his cheek. "Meeting my daughter-in-law? Best present in the world."

Linka flushed and Wheeler chuckled.

"She's pretty great, huh?"

"Better marry her quick," Kitty said, winking. "She might change her mind at any minute."

"I know," Wheeler said, and he grinned at Linka. "I don't think I could stand another 11 years wearing her resistance down again."

x*x

"Come on, Linka, I can't dance," he said, whining a little. "And I'm not sure it's a good idea to leave Ma and Gi together."

"You are dancing with me," she ordered, taking his hand.

He sighed in resignation, but was relieved to see all she really wanted to do was sway gently with him, her arms around his neck.

"I think Mom really likes you," he said, brushing her ear with his lips as he whispered to her.

"Really?" Linka asked hopefully. "I like her, too. She keeps you straightened out, I think?"

He chuckled. "Something like that."

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

It took him a moment to realise what she meant. "Oh, yeah," he sighed. "She mentions Dad like that every now and then. It's going to take me a bit longer to forgive him, that's all. If I ever do."

She leaned up to him and kissed him softly, not caring who was watching. "Thank you for being so calm about Mishka," she whispered.

He felt another twinge of anger as Linka mentioned her brother. "Don't worry about it, babe," he answered, his forehead against hers. "I don't suppose you've heard from him?"

She shook her head slightly. "He made it very clear," she said, and her voice sounded breathless, as though she were about to cry. "I do not think there is much more I can do."

"If we did set a date for the wedding, do you think he'd come?"

She stroked the back of his neck tenderly. "_Nyet_," she whispered.

Wheeler kissed her, feeling miserable. "Are you sure?"

"I think he would just cause more fighting," she said bitterly. "And I certainly do not want that on my wedding day."

"What do you want, on your wedding day?" he asked. He could smell that heady coconut and lychee scent again, and the sticky-sweet smell of her lip gloss.

"You, and our friends," she answered. "That is all I really need."

He stroked the curve of her waist thoughtfully, enjoying the soft feeling of the creamy-coloured dress against his hand. "You really don't want anything else? A big fancy reception? One of those enormous, fluffy, dresses?"

She giggled and buried her face against his neck. "_Nyet. _Nothing like that."

"Good," he said, sounding relieved. "Those dresses scare me."

She only sighed in response, and he could feel her lashes against his skin, her arms a pleasantly heavy weight around his shoulders.

"So me, and Kwame, Gi and Ma-Ti are all you really need? What about your friends in London?"

She thought for a moment. "I am not sure," she said. "I think Caitlin would come, but it would have little to do with our friendship. I do love her, but she can be more interested in finding a man than being friends with me, sometimes."

Wheeler could remember a phone call from Linka – drunk and in London, alone. Caitlin had disappeared with a man from the bar and Linka had felt rather miserable about it.

"So you wouldn't worry if she wasn't there?" he asked slowly.

"Not particularly."

He kissed her temple. "Marry me tonight," he whispered.

**XX**


	13. Chapter 13

**Thanks for the reviews, favourites and alerts, guys! :)**

Linka had almost been reduced to tears when she realised how prepared Wheeler was. The rings, he had told her, had been sitting in his bedside table since their return to Hope Island. And he had even gone so far as to ask Ma-Ti to marry them.

"Years ago," Ma-Ti had said with a sly grin. "But yes, Wheeler, I can do it. Your marriage will be binding so long as there are witnesses."

Wheeler looked around now at his 'witnesses'. Kwame was steering the geo-cruiser gently towards the landing pad on Hope Island. Gi was stretched across the aisle, giggling softly with Linka, who seemed to be defining the meaning of both calm and radiant.

Ma-Ti was gazing down at the peaks of The Crystal Chamber, shimmering in the pale moonlight.

And Wheeler's mother, Kitty, sat opposite her son, watching him with a gentle smile on her face, seemingly unfazed that she had been flown from Seattle, to New York, and then to Hope Island to watch her son's spontaneous wedding ceremony.

The flight to Hope Island had seemed short. There was not much chatter – but the air had been full of a tense excitement that was not unpleasant. Gi had been agitated, squirming in her seat and grinning to herself, unbearably excited at the thought of Wheeler and Linka finally getting married. She was a little disappointed that things were going to be done so simply – she had secretly been looking forward to the process of helping Linka organise her big day – but now that the moment had arrived, she didn't wish for anything to happen any differently.

The geo-cruiser landed with a slight bump, and everyone jumped down and headed for the beach – a silent decision they had all seemed to make together.

"Ma-Ti, will you call Gaia, please?" Linka asked softly. She had abandoned her shoes in favour of bare feet, and everyone quickly followed suit.

Wheeler bent his head to Linka's. "You sure about this, babe?" he whispered. "If you want anyone else here, we can wait..."

"_Nyet_, Wheeler," she answered, smiling up at him. "I do not want to wait anymore."

"You're all back a little earlier than I expected," Gaia said, walking down to them.

The Planeteers smiled at her and she smiled back at them, already knowing exactly why they had returned. She moved to stand beside Wheeler's mother, who was taking everything in her stride and remaining perfectly calm.

Wheeler felt as though he had two mothers present, and he smiled to himself.

"There's one person missing," he said suddenly, turning to Kwame.

The African man look baffled for a split second, and then grinned in understanding. "Then, let our powers combine," he said. "_Earth._"

Five beams of light shot above the beach towards the moon, which was a thin crescent in the sky above them. There was a bright flash, like a brilliant firework, and the Planeteers watched sedately as Captain Planet formed and announced himself.

He paused, looking about himself in confusion. "What's the problem, Planeteers?"

"No problem, Cap," Wheeler answered, grinning. "Linka and I wanted to invite you to our wedding."

Cap landed heavily on the beach with a broad smile, indicating unlimited agreement.

In the years to come, when Wheeler looked back upon the moment he and Linka finally became husband and wife, he'd remember scarce, insignificant details rather than the seemingly important ones.

He would fail to remember exactly what he said – or what she said to him. He would fail to remember anything Ma-Ti said, except for _I now pronounce you man and wife._ He'd fail to remember what anyone said to him in the hours after the impromptu midnight ceremony.

But he would remember the little things. Like the way Linka's slender hands felt as he held them, or the way the moon made her hair look like spun silver. The way he felt when she looked up at him, her green eyes wide and pretty and full of happiness. He would remember the way the blood pulsed through his body as he tried to find words strong enough to express his love for her. He would remember that he smiled when she said _Nicholas Jordan Armstrong_, and she smiled when he managed to pronounce _Polina Mikhailovna Vetrova_ without stumbling. He would remember the tremendous flutter of joy in his stomach as she slipped the ring onto his finger.

And he would remember that even with cheers and joy being exclaimed around them, when he kissed his wife it felt like it was only the two of them, and he had never been so happy in his life.

x*x

"Happy?" Wheeler asked softly.

She smiled, not wanting to move. "_Da_," she murmured. "I have never been happier than I am right now."

He kissed her gently and rested his cheek on the top of her head, watching the reflection of the moon in the water.

They were standing in the shallows, letting the waves roll gently over their feet. Linka was holding her dress up against her knees with one hand, her free arm wrapped tightly around Wheeler's waist. Further down the beach they could still hear music and laughter – mostly Gi, as Kwame and Ma-Ti took turns spinning her around the makeshift dance-floor of firm sand on the shore.

"I think it's going to take a few days for this to sink in," he sighed dreamily. "When I woke up this morning, marriage wasn't the first thing on my mind."

Linka giggled softly. "It was not on my mind either. Things have been – the past few weeks..." She sighed and shook her head. "It is nice to have something wonderful happen," she said, hugging him tightly.

He kissed her gently. "I know what you mean," he murmured.

"It has been so hard," she whispered, tears springing to her eyes. "I am not sure what I would have done if you were not here with me..."

"Well for a start, you wouldn't be fighting giant rats beneath New York City," Wheeler said, smiling gently at her. "You'd be in London, an amazing environmental investigator. One success after another."

"_Nyet_," she said, choking out a small laugh and smiling up at him. "I would still be miserable because I would be wondering where you were, and if you were happy, and if you thought of me sometimes. Mishka and I would be no different to how we are now, and I would still be working for Robert and trying to have my achievements recognised."

"Oh, that moron," Wheeler muttered darkly. "Never mind him, babe." He took her hand and backed away from the waterline, leading her with a smile. "So you've got yourself a handsome Fire Planeteer for a husband, now," he said. "Do you really want to waste time talking about work and sad stuff?"

"_Nyet,_" she said, smiling and letting him lead her. "There are other things I would rather be doing."

He scooped her up into his arms with a growl. "I hope I'm one of them."

She laughed helplessly, throwing her head back, and he spun her so the stars above her swirled together and made her delightfully dizzy.

x*x

"So, Yankee," Linka sighed, kissing his bare shoulder, "Did you think, when we met all those years ago, that we would end up married one day?"

"Well when I was 17, marriage wasn't really on my mind," he admitted, twining his fingers with hers. "Sex was."

She laughed and rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat slow, his breath already starting to even out and deepen. "And did you expect it to be like _that_?" she asked, tugging the sheet over them so it covered their sweat-gleaming bodies loosely.

"Imagination wasn't good enough," he said, running his fingers down her spine. He rolled slowly and covered her body again, kissing the pulse in her neck and brushing his lips over her collarbone. "Even when you're here with me it feels like a dream," he sighed, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her to his chest.

"A good dream," she said, smiling up at him.

"A very good dream." He kissed the end of her nose. "So do you feel like you've married below your means?"

She laughed and shook her head, pressing her forehead into the curve of his neck and his shoulder. "_Nyet_. I feel as though everything is just as it should be."

"Yeah?"

"Mm." She flattened her hands against his ribs, feeling his breath expand his chest when he drew in a sigh.

"I've always loved you, you know," he mumbled into her skin. "Even before I really recognised what love was. I always knew you were the only girl for me. Right from that first moment."

She kissed his cheek, smiling.

"And _you_ just thought I was an idiot," he said, pulling back slightly and regarding her with a look that attempted to appear wounded.

"I still think that, sometimes," she said, raising her eyebrow in response.

He laughed and nuzzled her nose with his own. "I think I'm in trouble. I've married you and you're too smart and quick and pretty and you've got me helpless for the rest of my life."

She broke free of his hold and kissed him firmly. "I will look after you," she promised. "Power will not go to my head."

He chuckled and sank back into the mattress, untangling himself from her arms and legs and finding his pillow waiting for him. "I can't believe we didn't sort this out when we left Hope Island," he yawned, referring to their last day before the five-year break.

She reddened. "I know. I was just afraid of changing things between us and having it go wrong."

"I know." He traced a light touch up her arm. "Feel okay about it now though?"

She smiled. "_Da,_ I do not think things will go wrong now."

He smiled and kept his fingers sliding along her bare skin. He could hear the waves coasting in and washing up on the beach. The sound was soothing and familiar and he realised how exhausted he was. He could feel Linka's lashes moving sleepily against his skin.

"Hey, babe?" he murmured drowsily, closing his eyes.

"Mm?"

"Thanks for marrying me."

She giggled and shifted, planting a soft kiss on his mouth and stroking his hair. "You are welcome, Yankee," she whispered.

**XX**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! This chapter is a bit longer than the others, and pretty packed. Hope you can read it all right ;) **

**As always, thank you for the lovely comments!**

**Lisa **

**xx**

"It's going to be a long, long time before I have another birthday as good as that one," Kitty said, squeezing her son a little tighter.

"Ma, I can't breathe," he complained.

He'd flown his mother back to New York early that morning. She was going to spend a few days with relatives and friends before heading back to Seattle – but Wheeler had to get back to Hope Island. Work was waiting for him.

"I don't know how you do it," Kitty sighed. "I'm exhausted."

"Guess I'm used to it," Wheeler said, grinning at her lazily. "Though, the others are used to me falling asleep at inappropriate moments. During meetings and briefings – that sort of thing."

Kitty rolled her eyes and hugged him again. "I thought Gi was joking when she told me all that."

"I knew it was a bad idea to introduce you," Wheeler muttered.

"Behave yourself, okay?" she asked.

"I do, Ma."

"And be careful."

"I am, I promise."

"Look after Linka."

"I will." He kissed her cheek. "And you take care of yourself as well, okay?"

She smiled at him and nodded. "Stay in touch."

"Yeah." He squeezed her hand and she waved to him, the cab pulling away from him.

He smiled and waved back until she disappeared from sight. He clambered back into the geo-cruiser.

"Well," he sighed, steering around to head back to Hope Island, "holiday is well and truly over now."

X*X

He was right about having to get back to work – he'd only just landed the geo-cruiser back on Hope Island before he heard Gaia calling the Planeteers to the Crystal Chamber.

"How was the flight?" Linka asked quietly, meeting him in the doorway.

"Fine," he smiled, kissing her cheek. He squeezed her hand gently, and grinned when she felt him twist his wedding ring around his finger.

"What's the problem, Gaia?" Ma-Ti asked, wandering in with a yawn. He, Kwame and Gi had stayed up even later than Wheeler and Linka – running up and down the beach, laughing and talking about their friends and the marriage they had finally been able to witness.

"Something terrible, Ma-Ti," Gaia said heavily. She motioned the Planeteers to gather around the Planet Vision.

"So far, I don't think his plan has started," she said carefully. "But my instinct leads me to believe that Looten Plunder has been researching the industry of human trading."

"Human trading?" Gi asked in horror. "Slavery? Or – or, oh my God. Worse." She shuddered as she recalled some of the destinies she had read about, awaiting those caught up in human trading.

"Yes, Gi," Gaia answered gently. "He's got several contacts already listed across Eastern Europe."

Linka's stomach clenched. "But that is disgusting," she moaned. "Nobody will let him get away with such appalling crimes..."

"Human trading is, regrettably, alive and well, even in developed countries," Gaia said sympathetically. "Plunder is tentatively exploring his options now – and with his money and his unfortunate talents in seeking out corruption and contacts, it won't take him long before he's well and truly at work."

Wheeler staggered suddenly, his face pale, and he locked his eyes onto Linka. "Delivery," he said softly, his voice almost failing him completely. "Sludge and Skumm were going to hand you over to Plunder..."

She felt the blood drain from her own face.

Kwame clenched his fists furiously. "Well that is as close as Plunder will get," he said angrily. "We will stop him before anyone gets hurt."

"We'll stop him all right," Wheeler growled. "Let's go, Planeteers."

X*X

"I don't see why I shouldn't try and make a profit from the others, after I've given the little Russian away," Plunder drawled, gazing out the window at the muddy fields flashing by.

Bleak negotiated another turn a little carelessly, the tyres skidding on the icy road. "You mean you want the Water Planeteer as well?" he asked distractedly.

"All of them," Plunder declared. "Men will sell as well, you know, Bleak. I can just imagine the desperate, lonely old biddies lining up now for the stupid American Planeteer."

Bleak chuckled. "I'm sure he'd love that."

"Well, after his little girlfriend goes missing, there won't be much point to the Planeteers," Plunder said, sounding pleased with himself. "May as well take advantage of the new industry we've found ourselves in, Bleak. I've already made several contacts here."

"Can't say it looks like the sort of place swimming with human traders," Bleak admitted, the glittering city on the horizon in front of him.

"Perfect, isn't it?" Plunder asked. "As soon as we get Welling off my back, we can get right down to the profit-making part of things. And that's the part I love best."

Bleak grunted. That was the part he liked best, too.

"First things first, though," Plunder said. "We need to find them. Are you sure they're here somewhere?"

"They heard you were here, and they came to find you," Bleak answered. "They're around somewhere, Mr. Plunder."

"Well let's try and spot blondie first," Plunder muttered. "Robert Welling is constantly on the phone to me. His nerves are shot already. It's pathetic."

Bleak had to bite his tongue. Robert Welling held a disturbing amount of power of Plunder at that moment, and Bleak didn't like it. He only liked blackmail when he was the one in control.

X*X

"Are you awake, _svetlyachok?"_

"If you're asking me that just to call me names, then no," Wheeler mumbled into the dark.

She smiled and pressed a kiss against his bare shoulder. "I am not calling you nasty names," she promised.

"No?"

"No. Firefly."

"Oh." He smiled and rolled over onto his side, facing her. Her face was shadowy in the moonlight, which spilled in through the window of yet another hotel room. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"I am not sure," she admitted. "I am just having trouble getting to sleep."

"Our sleeping habits over the past week could be to blame," he suggested, but his eyes closed again and he nestled into his pillow. "Don't worry about Plunder, babe. We'll stop him."

She nodded and burrowed into him, tucking her head under his chin and folding her arms against his chest. He hugged her and sighed, falling into a peaceful slumber quickly.

It was a long time before Linka was able to fall asleep.

X*X

"So where do we start?" Ma-Ti asked anxiously. "We really have no idea where Plunder is."

"And I would like to find him before _other_ people start to disappear," Kwame added.

"Gaia said Plunder is making contacts here," Linka said, typing rapidly into her laptop. "There are a few people here he may have established contact with. Perhaps we should track them down?"

Wheeler's stomach lurched. "This sounds dangerous," he said nervously. "Especially if Sludge and Skumm were right about Plunder hunting Linka down. Maybe – maybe this isn't one for us, you guys. Maybe we should just alert the other authorities."

"We have no proof," Gi said sympathetically. "_We_ know he's up to no good. But it's going to take a while for everyone else to catch up – and it'll be too late, then."

Wheeler nodded in resignation.

"Most of these places are home addresses," Linka said, printing the document she'd been looking at. "There are two business addresses though – including a factory that is no longer in use."

"A huge building like that would be a great place to hide anyone snatched off the street," Wheeler muttered. "We should check it out."

X*X

The factory was no longer in use – but it was surrounded by others that were. The air was filled with muffled booming and hissing, engines and machines making it difficult to speak at a comfortable volume.

"If people were crying for help in there, no one would hear them," Wheeler said, his mouth close to Linka's ear.

She nodded. "How do we get in?"

He looked around. There were no windows low enough to crawl through – in fact, they hadn't even found a door. He looked up – a fire escape led to upper levels – though it appeared to be clogged with various crates and boxes, the outside balconies used as cluttered storage areas.

"Maybe up there," he said, pointing.

She nodded. "We should find the others."

"They're way around the other side," Wheeler said. "Let's you and me get inside first."

"They are just around here," Linka said, motioning to the alley between factories. "I will wave them over. Get the ladder down."

Wheeler jumped and dangled from the lower rung of the metal ladder, attempting to drag it down with his weight. "Don't go too far!" he called after Linka.

She smiled back at him and disappeared around the corner.

Wheeler tugged furiously at the ladder, but it refused to budge. "Damn it!" he cried, dropping to the ground again. He paced back and forth beneath it, until he figured he'd have more luck if he _and_ Linka could hang from it and drag it down. He went in search of her, hurrying to the nearby network of alleys.

There was nothing to alert him to the danger above. He was hit hard, and suddenly, by a heavy crate that knocked him forward and pinned him to the ground. His breath was knocked out of him with a grunt, his hand trapped.

He groaned and blinked, the world swimming in front of his eyes for a moment before he forced himself to focus again. Glancing up, he saw Bleak grinning down at him.

"Shit," Wheeler muttered. He began wriggling desperately, his body crushed and protesting against the full weight of the crate leaning on his shoulder and his back. His right arm was bent beneath him, and as a result, so was his Planeteer ring.

"Linka!" He kicked and twisted. The crate shifted slightly, giving him hope. He heaved again, trying to roll it off. "Linka!"

She didn't appear.

_Does Plunder have her? I'll kill him._

He glanced up again. Bleak had gone but Wheeler assumed he wasn't far away. He put his hand to his mouth and tugged his wedding ring off with his teeth, flicking it to the end of the alley. He half-hoped she would hear the metallic sing of it against the stone and come to investigate – but really, the urge to leave some sort of clue behind had gripped him hard.

"Linka!" he shouted.

"Don't worry," Bleak said, his boots appearing in front of Wheeler's face. "We'll find 'er for you."

Wheeler glared up at him. "Your feet stink," he said.

"Like barbeque?" Bleak asked, glaring down at him. "You should see what they look like, after our last little meeting."

Wheeler grinned up at him. "Probably an improvement. Gonna let me up or what?"

Bleak chuckled and shook his head. "You need to learn to respect your betters."

"Betters?" Wheeler scoffed and tried to heave the crate off again. "Get real, Bleak."

"Trouble, Bleak?" Plunder asked.

"Was wondering where you were, baldy," Wheeler snapped. "Want to let me up?"

"I didn't hear a please," Plunder said icily, delicately touching his thinning pony tail. "Get him up, Bleak, and make sure he's restrained." He stepped on Wheeler's free hand and pinned it to the stone under his shoes.

Wheeler winced, but was helpless to stop him. Bleak shoved a rag into the Planeteer's mouth, taping it in place before he heaved the crate off.

Wheeler was strong, but Bleak's muscles were like iron – impossible to fight. He was hauled up and pressed against the wall, his ring pulled from his finger. Plunder dropped it into his pocket.

"Put him in the car," Plunder ordered. "And find his little girlfriend. She's the one we want, and the sooner this is over with, the better."

Bleak eased off on Wheeler as soon as his wrists were bound, and the Fire Planeteer kicked Plunder furiously.

Plunder lashed out immediately with his cane, connecting with Wheeler's knee. He screamed into the gag, stars exploding in front of his eyes. His leg collapsed beneath him and he fell heavily to the ground.

_He's shattered my kneecap, he's shattered my kneecap..._

He was barely aware of being thrown into the back of Plunder's car. After a few minutes the pain subsided, and he moved his knee gingerly. Not broken, after all – but he wasn't going to be running any marathons on it.

He blinked and shifted his cheek against the backseat. Tiger skin seat coverings. He wrinkled his nose and struggled to sit up, fumbling with the door handle. Locked.

_Fucking hell, can't I get a break today? Please?_

He dropped his head against the window miserably.

_Stay hidden, Linka. Wherever you are, stay hidden._

X*X

It was simply luck that had prevented Linka from hearing Wheeler's cries. Good or bad, she'd never be sure. The factory nearby was loud – machinery hissing and squealing and hiding any other sound she might have otherwise been able to hear.

Unable to spot the other Planeteers from the eastern side, she gave up and hurried back to where she had left Wheeler – only to spot Bleak hunting around in the various alleyways. She ducked behind a dumpster, watching him nervously.

"Bleak!"

She shrank back even further as Plunder appeared at the end of the alleyway.

"Have you found her?"

"Not yet, Mr. Plunder."

"We're running out of time. If you can't find her in the next five minutes, forget it. She'll come to us, eventually, looking for her smartass boyfriend."

She bit her lip anxiously. They had Wheeler. She crouched down behind the dumpster and held her hand to her head.

_Ma-Ti, hurry! We are in trouble._

Bleak stalked closer, muttering to himself. Plunder had obviously put him in a bad mood. He kicked a tin can away and ran his eyes up and down the alley.

_Ma-Ti, hurry! Plunder and Bleak are here. They have Wheeler and Bleak is about to find me..._

Bleak, however, gave up. He spat bitterly on the ground and spun on his heel, stalking back towards Plunder, who had moved out of sight.

Linka crept forward. She was unwilling to do anything without the others present, the information Gaia had bestowed upon them echoing through her mind:

_My instinct leads me to believe that Looten Plunder has been researching the industry of human trading._

And Wheeler's face, horrified, as he had remembered Sludge and Skumm planning to hand Linka over to Plunder.

She shuddered and ran quietly after Bleak, hesitating at the end of the alley. Something glinted in the weak sunlight and she reached for it with a feeling of sick fear in her stomach.

Wheeler's wedding ring.

The squealing of tyres snapped her back into focus, and she sprinted to her feet, not caring about her own safety anymore.

_Ma-Ti! Help, help! He has Wheeler and he is taking him away!_

She reached the end of the alley and thrust her fist out in front, choking the command before she could even spot Plunder's car. But it was too late. The whirlwind she sent spinning down the road chased nothing but dust – Plunder's car had gone.

X*X

Wheeler watched the world flash by the tinted windows of Plunder's car.

Plunder was running his fingers over the ivory cap of his cane, a smirk on his face as he watched the Planeteer.

"We couldn't find that pretty little blonde that follows you around," he said after a while.

Wheeler wished he could make a cutting remark. He settled for an icy glare instead.

Plunder chuckled and shook his head. "Never mind," he sighed. "I'm sure she'll show up soon – trying to track you down. I'm sure you know there are men out there prepared to pay a lot of money for a Russian bride – whether she's willing to be his or not. And there are a few women out there willing to pay the same price for an American husband." He smiled at Wheeler, showing a gold-capped tooth in the side of his mouth. "I'll settle a score when I pass her over, and I'll make a profit with you."

_Try it, you creep._

Wheeler leaned his head against the window again. Though he wouldn't give Plunder the satisfaction of visible panic, he was deeply shaken. Wheeler was no idiot – he knew white slavery was alive and well in various places around the world. Having Plunder dabbling in such a trade did nothing to reassure him. Hearing that Linka had been set up as a specific target made his blood boil.

_If it saves her from going through this ordeal, I don't care what he does to me._

X*X

"I was around the side," Linka sobbed, pointing.

Kwame squeezed her shoulder gently. "I am sure he is not far away," he said. "We will find him."

"We should not have split up," she moaned. "It was so stupid. We knew it was dangerous..."

"It is not your fault, Linka," Kwame comforted, putting his arm around her. He looked up as Gi and Ma-Ti returned, each of them shrugging and looking worried.

"Anything?" Linka croaked, looking hopefully at Ma-Ti.

"No," he said, chewing his lip. "I know he is being taken somewhere – but Plunder is close by, and I cannot see through him."

"Let's go back to the hotel," Gi suggested. "Maybe Ma-Ti will have more luck tracking Wheeler down once Plunder has stopped."

"_Nyet,_" Linka begged. "Please, Ma-Ti, do not lose contact with him. Plunder knows we cannot see through pollution, and if you try to check in later you may not be able to see anything."

"I will keep trying, Linka," Ma-Ti promised, squeezing her hand. "But Gi is right – we should go back to the hotel. I swear I will keep tracking Wheeler."

Gi wrapped a comforting arm around Linka. "He'll be okay," she promised. "Wheeler can look after himself, and he's going to get in touch with Ma-Ti as soon as he can. Right?"

Linka nodded, but tears spilled onto her cheeks. "They were looking for me and they have taken him instead," she moaned.

Kwame embraced her from the other side. "We will find him," he said gently. "But it is not safe to be around here. They may come back, and we need to be prepared."

She nodded again and let the others lead her away, back to the hotel.

X*X

Wheeler had closed his eyes in concentration.

_Come on Ma-Ti, you can find me without my ring when we're home. You can hear me now, right? Please hear me._

Plunder nudged his shoulder with the ivory end of his cane. "Stop that," he snapped.

Wheeler raised his eyebrows innocently.

"Don't give me that look," Plunder said. "You're trying to talk to your little friend." He tapped on the window separating them from the front seat, and it slid down.

"Mr. Plunder?" Bleak grinned at Wheeler in the rear-vision mirror, and Wheeler narrowed his eyes.

"Pass that scarf over. The Planeteer is trying to give out directions."

Wheeler worked his jaw beneath the tape. The gag tasted slightly oily, and he craved water. He tried to shove Plunder away, but the scarf covered his eyes tightly, and he had no choice but to accept it.

_Okay, Ma-Ti, I can't tell you much else, except that we're still travelling south-west. I'm blindfolded. I'll let you know when we stop. I sure hope you can hear me._

Miles away, sitting on the end of his hotel bed, Ma-Ti rubbed his temples.

_I knew we should have practiced away from Hope Island_, he thought fretfully. _This is much harder than it is at home. And Plunder being so close is not helping things..._

Vague images of fields and icy roads flashed before him. Tiger skins. Now and then he felt a more tangible link to Wheeler – a word spoken aloud in his mind – but the connection never lasted long. Plunder was like a thick black cloud settling over the sun – he forced everything into shadow and blocked Ma-Ti from getting a clear idea of what Wheeler was going through.

_South-west... Linka... _

The word _Linka_ hit him loudly each time, Wheeler's love and connection to her forcing the message through with a loud clarity.

He glanced up to Linka now. She was standing by the window, running her hands through her hair and toying with Wheeler's wedding ring, raising it to her lips now and then. He could hear her perfectly well, his ring not needed at all.

_Please be safe, Yankee._

Ma-Ti shifted his gaze to Kwame, who was watching Linka worriedly. He felt Ma-Ti watching him, and raised his eyebrows.

_Anything?_

_Not much. They are travelling south-west. It is difficult to see._

_Is he hurt?_

_I cannot tell. He is conscious, but beyond that I do not know._ He rested his head in his hands again, trying to keep at least one thread of the connection alive.

"_Bozhe moy_," Linka exclaimed suddenly, pacing in front of the window. "We are sitting here doing nothing!"

"We have no choice but to wait, Linka," Kwame said patiently. "Ma-Ti is trying to track Wheeler, and until we have some idea of where Plunder is hidden, we cannot make a move. I am sure we will find him soon – word is out there. Plunder has made contacts, remember? We just need to keep our eyes and ears to the ground. A clue will show up."

Linka's eyes widened suddenly, and she spun around to Ma-Ti with a choke. "Ma-Ti," she whispered. "The woman with the dark hair. We have to beat the woman with the dark hair or I will never see Wheeler again!"

X*X


	15. Chapter 15

**Thanks for the wonderful reviews!**

**Just a note - erm, it looks like all my paragraph breaks have been disappearing. I'm really sorry about this! I only just noticed. They actually show up in preview mode, so I'm not sure what's going on. I'll try and fix it ASAP. It's driving me crazy and I'm sure it makes things harder to read!**

**XX  
**

Ma-Ti was breathing heavily, and his head pounded, but still he concentrated. He had no longer had any sense of direction or distance. Just a vague feeling. If someone asked him exactly where Sydney was on a blank map of Australia, he'd be able to give a fairly accurate description – though without knowing the country's geography in intimate detail, he might point a little too far north or south.

The same went for Wheeler's location. A map lay on the table in front of him, and he was trying to seek Wheeler's location based only on his gut feeling. It didn't leave him with much comfort, but it was the best he could do.

He drew a circle and stepped back, opening his eyes and praying he hadn't circled any major cities.

"Well?" he asked weakly.

"It is all farmland," Linka said, her eyes raking over the map, anxious to find any clues. "But this covers hundreds of miles, Ma-Ti. Can you not narrow it down just a little?"

"I'm sorry," Ma-Ti said, shaking his head. "It's the best I can do without a direct connection. I know I can do better on Hope Island, but I think our connection to one another is stronger there."

"It is a step in the right direction," Kwame said, his voice steady and brave. "We will find him. There cannot be too many places to hide out there."

"Old mine shafts, abandoned farms, countless villages," Linka said, tears springing to her eyes.

"The locals will have noticed anything different," Gi reasoned. "Small villages always do. It won't take long for us to track him down."

"What if Plunder plans to _sell_ him?" Linka asked, tears finally rolling down her cheeks. "What if we get there too late?"

"Linka, stop with the _what ifs_," Gi said firmly. "We'll get some sleep and take the geo-cruiser out as soon as the sun comes up. Everyone agree?"

The men murmured agreement and retired to bed, trying to offer Linka words of encouragement and reassurance as they passed.

She found little comfort in anything.

X*X

Linka was slipping Wheeler's wedding ring on and off her finger. It was far too large for her but it was one of the few connections left, and she refused to let go of it. She closed her eyes. Any moment now, she was sure he was going to walk in.

"Man, I'm starved," he'd complain. He'd flop down in front of the television and immediately become focused on whatever sport he could find. She'd try and convince him to fix himself something to eat instead, and he'd raise an eyebrow at her. "It's the Yankees, Linka. The _Yankees._" And he'd grin at her, those words all the argument he needed to sway the jury to his side.

She sobbed quietly and buried her face in her hands. He was not going to walk in, complaining about hunger or baseball. He was gone and she had no idea where to start looking for him.

"Linka?"

She looked up, her eyes red. "_Da_, Gi," she said, sniffing and wiping her eyes. "Did I wake you?"

Not bothering with small talk, Gi clambered into bed with Linka and wrapped her arms around her friend. "Sleep," she mumbled. "We're no help to Wheeler when we're exhausted. I promise we'll find him." She kissed the top of Linka's head and she sobbed into Gi's shoulder until she simply couldn't keep up the physical effort anymore. She fell asleep shortly before day break, tears drying on her skin.

X*X

Linka had rubbed her face tiredly. Her feet and her back ached, but she refused to stop.

_Where would Plunder go?_

She and Kwame had all covered the most expensive hotels in the city, knowing Plunder liked to stay where there was luxury. Nobody seemed to recognise his photograph, however.

She checked her watch. It was almost time to meet up with the others again. Gi and Ma-Ti had taken the geo-cruiser, flying out to the rough circle Ma-Ti had drawn on the map, hoping to narrow the search area a little. Linka wished she had gone with them.

"Any luck?"

She looked up at Kwame and shook her head. "_Nyet._ I do not know where to go next. Perhaps we should have gone with Gi and Ma-Ti."

"We will find someone," Kwame comforted. "Plunder draws attention to himself, and we will track him down. He is going to be hiding himself out in the country – but I am sure he makes himself known here in the city. A man like Plunder cannot keep quiet about his financial status. Someone around here will know about him."

She gave him a small smile. "_Da._" She looked up as a bitter wind swept down the almost-deserted road. A woman in a large fur coat was walking briskly to her parked car, her dark hair streaming about her face as the wind rushed against her.

"Excuse me!"

Kwame hung back as Linka slipped into her native tongue, running towards the woman.

"_Izvinite_," Linka gasped, skidding to a stop beside the woman.

"I'm busy – whatever you're selling I don't want it," the woman snapped, unlocking her car quickly.

"No – please, I'm looking for this man. Have you seen him?" Linka held out Plunder's photograph.

The woman looked it up and down and shifted her dark eyes to Linka. "No. I have never seen him before in my life." She sneered and swung herself into her car, tearing away and skidding slightly on the icy road.

"Bitch," Linka muttered.

"Did you see those pelts?" Kwame moaned. "That fur coat certainly cost more than cash."

Linka chewed her lip. _I cannot get suspicious about every single woman with dark hair. I will lose my mind. _Still, she spoke up. "I am not convinced she was telling the truth. There is a store ahead that sells furs. Perhaps Plunder visited."

Kwame motioned for her to lead the way. "We have time."

Linka wrinkled her nose as they pushed into the warmth of the store. Furs and leather jackets hung on racks everywhere.

"These poor animals," she moaned, doing her best not to brush against anything.

"Go and ask the storekeeper, Linka," Kwame whispered. "Maybe she has seen Plunder."

"Excuse me," Linka said, laying Plunder's photograph on the sales counter. "I'm looking for this man."

"Oh, Mr. Plunder," the saleswoman said, fingering the photograph lightly. "He was here yesterday. He supplies me with furs now and then."

"He does?" Linka asked. Even when her heart leapt with hope, she could barely disguise her disgust. "Do you know where he's staying?"

"No, I'm afraid not. What's this in regards to?"

"Please, it is _very_ important that I get in touch with him," Linka said anxiously. "Do you have his contact details?"

The woman flicked her eyes over Linka. "No, I don't."

Linka's heart sank. "Please," she said desperately. "You must have a number for him, if he supplies you with furs?"

"Please get out of my store," the woman said coldly. "I can't help you."

Linka spun on her heel and hurried out of the shop, Kwame close behind her.

"Linka?"

"She will not tell me where Plunder is," Linka wept bitterly. "I am sure she knows how to get in touch with him... If we could trace him somehow..." She wiped her eyes.

Kwame put a gentle arm around her and she turned towards him gratefully, huddling into him. Kwame was not often affectionate – physical contact was not something he embraced fully. Though he loved the Planeteers dearly – they were family to him – he chose to display that affection in other ways. But Linka clung to him gratefully. He patted her back.

"We will find him, Linka," he said gently. "We will not give up."

"I am so worried," she sobbed. "What if he is hurt? What if somebody is hurting him? What if all of this is just like the dream he was having? He was so frightened..."

He patted her again. "Do not think the worst," he soothed. "Wheeler can look after himself."

She nodded and wiped her eyes. "_Da_, you are right." She pulled back slowly, but hung onto his hand. She looked back towards the store again. "I know that woman can lead us to Plunder. I _know_ she can. And I do not think the woman in the fur coat was telling the truth either."

"It is almost time to meet the others," Kwame said. "Perhaps they have had more luck."

She nodded and they turned back into the bitter wind, anxiously hoping that good news was coming.

X*X

Robert Welling felt an unnerving mix of excitement and terror whenever Looten Plunder's name came up on his cell phone.

"What is it?" he asked anxiously, shutting the door to his office. "I told you not to call me at work."

"Just letting you know that we've located the package you're interested in," Plunder drawled. "She's back in Russia."

"She is? What's she doing there?"

"Meddling in affairs that aren't her business, as far as I can tell," Plunder answered icily. "It may take a few days before I can – _acquire_ her for you."

Robert felt the nerves leap again, and he glanced to the window in the door to his office, anxiously hoping nobody was listening in.

"Good," he muttered. "Once she's here and I have her safe and sound, I'll hand over the evidence I have against you."

Plunder cleared his throat slightly. "Yes, excellent. Though I can't say I find the balance to be weighed in my favour, here. You do realise this is extraordinarily difficult and risky, don't you?"

"This stuff I have here could land you in jail for the rest of your life," Robert snarled. "Don't tell me how risky and stupid it is. I know it sounds desperate and you've probably had a good laugh at my expense about it, but I don't care. You get her to me and you get her to me soon, or I'll make this stuff public. And don't think you can bribe your way out of this one, Plunder. I know you too well."

"And what if I get caught messing around in human trading?" Plunder asked. "That could get me put away for life as well. And _you_."

"You'd better not fuck up then," Robert snapped, disconnecting the call abruptly. His nerves were frayed. He wasn't sure exactly what had led him to this new point of irrationality, but he felt it too late to back out now. He just wanted it to be over. Once Linka was back in London and in his own care, it would be better. And she wouldn't mind, exactly. Well, she would at first, of course, but he wasn't going to be cruel to her.

It was a sick, twisted sort of love Robert Welling held for Linka. He had been bitterly humiliated by the rather public way things had ended. She had been popular there, and he'd fired her for something he didn't fully understand, and people resented him for it. The need for some sort of revenge boiled deep inside him, and the anxiety and guilt and grief he'd had since her departure tormented him, convincing him that the only cure was to get her back.

At any cost.

X*X

Wheeler leaned shakily against the basin. He felt weak and sick. He cupped his hands under the tap and gulped the water down greedily. It was so cold it numbed his fingers – and the hunger pains in his stomach.

He didn't really have any idea how long he'd been down here – his stomach thought it was two or three days since his last meal. His heart thought it was two or three years since he'd seen Linka.

_Hope you're safe, babe_, he thought, twisting the tap off and running his wet hands through his hair. There was no mirror – just a busted basin that leaked water onto the floor, turning it to mud beneath his feet – and a toilet that flushed incessantly whether someone was using it or not.

"You almost done in there?" Bleak hammered heavily on the door, threatening to knock it from its hinges.

"Why, you want to come in and watch?" Wheeler snapped. He leaned against the wall and pressed his palms over his eyes.

_Ma-Ti, you've gotta hurry, man. And keep Linka safe. Plunder and Bleak have been talking about hunting her down. Don't let her do anything stupid._

"Hurry up!" Bleak ordered.

Wheeler sighed and fumbled with the loose lock on the door. He was no match against Bleak – especially with his knee the way it was. He couldn't put any weight on it at all and he was beginning to think Plunder had fractured it or something.

"Done makin' yourself pretty?" Bleak asked sarcastically.

"You tell me, Bleak," Wheeler answered grumpily. "Want to kiss me or do I have to go back in there and put some lipstick on?"

Bleak threw him against the wall. "Hands behind yer back," he growled.

"Do you know what overkill is, Bleak?" Wheeler asked as Bleak tied his wrists tightly. "It's keeping a crippled prisoner in an underground cell. And tying him up and keeping him gagged and blindfolded. Overkill. You get it?"

"Maybe if you didn't have such a smart mouth..." Bleak muttered, cinching the ropes far tighter than necessary.

"Oh, that explains it," Wheeler answered sarcastically. He groaned as Bleak stuffed the rag back into his mouth and taped it in place.

"You might have some company down here soon," Bleak said, dragging Wheeler backwards and into the cramped cell he'd been kept in the past few days. "Russian blondes are in high demand, I hear."

Wheeler wrenched furiously out of his grasp, spluttering curses and threats into the foul-tasting cloth jammed in his mouth.

Bleak chuckled and slipped the blindfold over Wheeler's eyes again. "Thought you'd enjoy that news," he drawled, and he left the Planeteer sitting there in the dark.

X*X

An argument was about to erupt between the Planeteers.

"We are not going to achieve anything by taking risks that put us in danger," Kwame said, trying to keep his voice calm. "I know you are frightened for him, Linka, but Wheeler is capable of looking after himself, and we will not give up until we have him back. If we rush into something, his situation will not improve and neither will ours."

"I can do it, Kwame," she answered pleadingly. "Do you think I _want_ to mess this up? I am going to do everything I can to make sure it goes _right._"

"Linka, the ties I have to Wheeler are weak," Ma-Ti said, speaking up quietly. "I can only hear him clearly when he focuses his mind on messages to _me_ but thinks about _you_ – and he is worried about you. He does not want you to take risks."

Linka rubbed tears off her cheeks. "Can you not track him, Ma-Ti?" she asked helplessly, already knowing the answer.

Ma-Ti shook his head miserably. "No closer to what we already know. I have tried, but Plunder is too close, and Wheeler is weak."

Linka let out a sob at this, and Gi put a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"We'll find him," she promised for what felt like the thousandth time. "But getting _ourselves_ into trouble won't be any help at all."

"But we have looked _everywhere_," Linka cried. "We have made no progress at all, and time is running out!" She shifted her eyes to Ma-Ti again. "You can feel it, _da?_" she asked. "The dream Wheeler had? Someone out there is going to take him away from us, and even if we hunt Plunder down, there is no guarantee we will find Wheeler after that..." She sobbed into her hands and Gi hugged her tightly, looking up at Kwame with an expression he was unable to decipher.

"When you hear Wheeler," he said slowly, turning to Ma-Ti, "what does he say?"

Ma-Ti closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath, probing the dark shadows that clung to Plunder and led to Wheeler. He knew Plunder had Wheeler's ring – he had stopped trying to trace Wheeler through the power the ring held. He searched for Wheeler himself, and found him – but he wasn't strong enough to throw light across everything and reveal Wheeler's location or a full narrative of his thoughts.

"He is thinking of Linka," Ma-Ti said, concentrating. "And he is angry. Someone has said something to make him angry. He is frightened, and getting weaker."

He opened his eyes, feeling exhausted, and Kwame put a hand on his shoulder, indicating concern.

"Can Wheeler hear you?" Gi asked hopefully.

Ma-Ti shook his head. "I do not think so. If he can, I cannot hear his response. I can only read his emotions – not his direct thoughts. He is too far away, and too close to Plunder – and he does not have his ring."

"_Bozhe moy_," Linka groaned. "Enough of this!" She bit her lip, hating herself for being so difficult and so stubborn – and hating the others for being so reluctant to take any risks.

"I will do this with or without your help," she said, looking down at her hands. "I am sorry for being so difficult and worrying you all so much, but I will not wait any longer. Wheeler is in trouble and I am going to find him."

Kwame rubbed his forehead, trying to think of a new way to word his much-repeated speech of warnings and dangers and responsibilities.

Gi couldn't help but sneak a glance at her watch. It was going to be a long night.

X*X


	16. Chapter 16

**So um, it turns out this website has removed astericks symbols from every single one of my stories. I'm in the process of going through them right now and replacing them with x's so you can recognise the paragraph breaks. Apologies for the trouble it's caused anyone! Bah.**

**Anyway. Gemma just left a review which reminded me to update, so here we go! ;-)**

**Oh wait - the hotel I've made up is, as far as I know, fictional. :)  
**

**xx  
**

"The sooner we get rid of 'im, the better," Bleak grumbled, returning from another trip down to the basement.

"Don't you think I know that?" Plunder asked icily. "I've put phone calls in to people I think might be interested. Word will spread."

Bleak didn't ask how Plunder how he had contacts interested in the purchase of a human being. He knew his boss was capable of many things, and none of them were legal. He just grunted and started cleaning beneath his fingernails with the point of his knife.

"The other Planeteers will be looking for him," Plunder murmured. "I need to get hold of the little Wind Planeteer. Robert Welling is about to lose his mind and if he releases those papers he has, I'm not sure I can talk my way out of them." He laced his fingers together and looked down at them bitterly.

"So we get the blonde and we get her off to him in exchange for the papers," Bleak muttered. "Why are we still sitting around here, again?"

"Because there's profit to be had, Bleak," Plunder answered in a hard voice. He didn't like Bleak questioning his way of things. "We can make money from the moron we've got downstairs. We're not going to make money from the blonde."

Bleak jammed his knife into the arm of the chair. "Well I wish someone would hurry up and come forward," he said. "I'm gettin' tired of baby-sitting him."

"Don't worry, you'll be reimbursed for your troubles, you poor, innocent flower," Plunder snapped. "I've put the word out and it will spread to the right people. Someone will want him."

Bleak lit a cigarette. For the first time in a long time, he felt a seed of doubt in his mind.

x

Rita Koskov braced herself as the woman breezed towards the front counter.

"How can I help you madam?" she asked, sounding a lot braver than she felt. This woman looked cold and hard.

"I am after a fur coat, obviously," the woman replied, already sounding annoyed. Rita could almost feel the air grow colder.

She glanced the woman up and down. She was dressed in black – the suit expensive and well-cut. Leather gloves were being tugged off her pale, slender hands, and leather boots showed at the bottom of her pants. Her dark hair was cut in a sharp, symmetrical style that fell in straight, glossy lengths to her shoulders. Her dark eyes glittered with displeasure.

"Anything in particular?" Rita asked, desperately wanting the woman out of her shop.

"Something to suit my skin," the woman said, turning to let her eyes wander around the shop. "Nothing too dark in colour. Something luxurious." She held a credit card up distractedly. "Cost is not an issue."

Gripped by a fevered excitement, Rita hurried around the counter. "Let me show you our finest stock," she gushed.

She was annoyed when the bell over the door rang, indicating someone else entering the shop. She glanced over her shoulder as the tall, icy-looking woman was fingering the sleeve of an impressive mink coat.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice a little harder than she intended it.

"We're wondering if you've seen this man..." An Asian woman held out a photograph timidly.

"Again?" Rita asked in disgust, switching to English. "I had a blonde woman in here asking about him two days ago. I told her I could not help."

"We think he may have something to do with the disappearance of a friend of ours," the Asian woman said desperately. "He's American. He has red hair. Please, if you have any information..."

"Please go away," the tall, dark-haired costumer snapped suddenly. "I am trying to purchase a fur, and I am in a hurry."

"Oh, please don't buy furs," Ma-Ti said weakly. He felt ill, being in a store like this.

"I cannot help you," Rita said. She was beginning to get a headache. "I told the blonde the same thing. Please, go away."

Gi grabbed Ma-Ti's arm and they left, looking miserable and annoyed at the same time.

"Why are they bothering you about this man?" the customer asked curiously.

Rita switched back to what she hoped was a polite and endearing manner. "I don't know, madam," she sighed, giving the customer a bright smile. "The blonde woman was most insistent. I do business occasionally with the man in the photograph and I suspect they are opposed to my trade."

The woman scoffed. "Typical. I cannot abide protesters. I saw the blonde woman you are talking about. She was bothering people in the street." She clucked her tongue in disapproval, and ran her fingers down the coat again. "I will take this one," she murmured. "I will wear it out."

"Certainly," Rita gushed. She gathered the furs into her arms and hurried back to the counter. She could hear the impatient click of the tall woman's heels behind her.

"This man in the photograph is a fur trader?" the woman asked curiously.

"Yes. Though I only hear from him occasionally."

"How wonderful, that people like you and he strive to keep our fashions so desirable," the woman murmured, admiring a supple leather shoulder-bag hanging by the cash register.

"Mr. Plunder is a man of impeccable taste," Rita assured her. "He provides only the best furs."

"Plunder?" the woman asked. "I have heard of Plunder and his – industries and exports."

"He's a fine businessman," Rita said, smiling nervously.

"I can tell," the woman answered, smiling back and wrapping the coat around herself with an air of delight. "Will you pass on my regards? I am always interested in making further contact with men such as Mr. Plunder. I have heard certain things of him and I am interested in discovering whether or not he can help me with another purchase I wish to make."

"I can find out for you, madam," Rita gushed, swiping the credit card. More business with this woman would be _most_ desirable, despite the shivers she managed to send up the saleswoman's spine.

"Would you?" the woman asked, admiring herself in the mirrors on the wall. "I am not in town long. It is nice doing business with someone so willing." She graced Rita with a smile, though it still sent a shiver up the saleswoman's back.

"I have had the most _trying_ time, over the past couple of days," the woman sighed, taking up a pen to sign the receipt. "The _Reichka Lebed_ gave away my suite. I have to stay in one of their standard rooms and I find it incredibly claustrophobic."

Rita glanced down at the tidy signature. "Thank you, Ms. Baryshnikov," she said graciously.

"I will be back, I am sure," the woman said with a tight smile. "Your furs are by far the best. This Mr. Plunder is certainly to be congratulated."

"I'll pass on your regards," Rita said. "Mr. Plunder is always interested in meeting people with similar tastes."

Ms. Baryshnikov smiled again. "I'm _certain_ Mr. Plunder and I have similar tastes," she drawled, gathering up her purse. "Good day." She swept out of the shop and Rita breathed a sigh of relief.

But, it wasn't all bad. She had made a _very_ nice sale – and if things went well, Baryshnikov would be back to buy more.

After a moment's thought, Rita locked the front door and went to the telephone, dialling a number she had only called a handful of times before.

"Ms. Koskov," Plunder greeted warmly. "What can I do for you, my dear?"

"I am sorry to bother you, Mr. Plunder," Rita answered, feeling a little flustered. "I had a woman in here just now wishing to pass on her regards."

Plunder paused, and his voice sounded harsh. "What woman?"

"A Ms. Baryshnikov?" Rita asked. "She doesn't believe she has met you before, but she was in here admiring your fur stock, sir. She purchased a large mink coat. She said she would be interested in keeping in touch with you for future purchases."

Plunder's voice was oily-smooth again. "Oh, did she? Did you get her details?"

"Not really," Rita admitted. "But she mentioned she was staying at the _Reichka Lebed_ hotel. Do you know it?"

Plunder chuckled. "Yes, my dear. Quite well. I have stayed there several times."

"Well, I am sure you could get in touch with her there," Rita said. "She has long black hair, and is quite tall. And, of course, she is now wearing the mink coat. I'm sure someone at the front desk could put you in touch with her."

"Thank you, my dear," Plunder said graciously. "I will enquire about her. Is she within the fur trade, herself?"

"She gave me the impression she knew it quite well," Rita admitted. "She knew what the best-quality furs were, for certain." She smiled to herself. "And she admitted she has an intense dislike for protesters, Mr. Plunder."

Plunder chuckled. "I am sure Ms. Baryshnikov and I will get along well."

x

She knew who it was before she answered the phone, but she kept up the facade long enough to make the man on the other end a little desperate and needy.

"Oh, Plunder," she said finally. "Of course. Forgive me. It is this dreadful hotel connection. I have had nothing but trouble since they gave my suite away to somebody else. I am stuck in one of their hideous standard rooms, and it really is too small. I am not quite feeling myself."

"I understand completely," Plunder answered graciously, feeling the need to make this woman like him. She was obviously well-off, and interested in furs, and he wanted to keep her as a contact.

"I wanted to thank you for your kind words regarding my furs," he murmured. "It's nice to know they're being appreciated by the right people."

"_Da_, of course." Her voice wasn't getting any warmer. He found himself feeling quite intimidated by this brusque woman.

"To be honest, Mr. Plunder," she said suddenly, "it is not only your fur collection I am interested in."

Plunder's ears perked up. "Oh no?"

"I have heard you have a hand in the business of human trading."

"I have some unusual acquisitions in my possession," he said carefully. "Are you interested?"

"I have some – _unusual _collections, Mr. Plunder."

"As do I, my dear. As do I."

"I have heard word of this most recent acquisition of yours," she said, crossing to the window and gazing out at the window at the city below. "I am rather interested myself."

Plunder paused, just for a moment. "And what acquisition _is_ that?" he asked, wanting to make sure they were on exactly the same page.

She chuckled. "Mr. Plunder, I have contacts all over this city. Tastes as unusual as mine can attract attention, if I am not careful. I heard of you from one of my sources, and I am not stupid enough to give that source away. The fact is, I have heard of you, and I have heard of your latest possession, and I would like to follow my interest. _Da_?"

"Certainly! Certainly," Plunder said smoothly, suddenly convinced. "How shall we arrange to meet?"

"I will come to you," she said coldly, sliding the curtains closed across the window. "I prefer it that way. If you would be so kind as to give me directions? I would like to meet as soon as possible. I am preparing to leave the country, and if this works out I will have more to organise. I will have transport for _two._" She chuckled, and Plunder felt an unpleasant shiver race up his spine.

"What about payment?" he asked.

"It can be arranged as an instant electronic transfer," she said carelessly. "I have heard he is American. Is that true?"

Plunder hesitated only slightly. "Yes," he said. "That's true. But I would like to keep this quiet, if possible."

"As would I, Mr. Plunder," she said dryly. "I am not interested in a bidding war. Or the authorities, for that matter."

She examined her face in the mirror as he gave her directions, checking her flawless makeup and her straight, glossy black hair. She scrawled his phone number on the back of a hotel postcard and stuffed it into her purse.

"I will call if I have any trouble," she said. "I will see you within a few hours." She dropped the phone back into its cradle and threw her new fur coat around her shoulders.

She was extremely pleased with the events of the day.

x

_Wheeler was trembling. It was freezing and he was in pain and it was dark. He was alone and scared and something bad was going to happen. Something bad was coming down a steep flight of dark steps, and it was going to take him away – take him away from Linka and he'd never see her again._

_It was coming, and terror welled up inside him._

He woke with a start, and automatically cocked his head towards the direction of the stairs – but the darkness was silent, aside from his own panicked breath.

He shivered. Down here it was hard to tell the difference between dreams and reality – but he was certain the two were about to merge.

**XX**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey guys, there's some swearing in this chapter ;) Just a heads up! Thanks for reading & reviewing!**

**x**

Wheeler groaned as the door to his cell was thrown open again.

_Can't a guy ever get some sleep around here?_

"Comfortable?"

He sighed impatiently at the sound of Bleak's voice.

"Just checkin' in," Bleak clarified. "Makin' sure you're not runnin' off somewhere."

Wheeler bit down on the gag in his mouth, chewing it angrily. _You're hilarious, Bleak. Honestly. _

"Mr. Plunder reckons he's found a buyer for you," Bleak said slyly, nudging Wheeler with his foot.

Wheeler's knee flared with pain again.

_A buyer? Oh, shit. Oh, shit it's the woman with the dark hair. I just know it is. And she's going to beat Linka here and I'll never see her again..._

"Good luck," Bleak snickered.

Wheeler heard the door slam shut again. _Oh God, what the hell am I gonna do..._

x_  
_

Plunder looked admiringly at the woman stepping out of the car. She was swathed in an impressive mink coat, expensive leather boots and gloves hiding her pale skin from the cold. She had a harsh hairstyle – black and straight, falling in silky strands against the fur coat around her shoulders.

"Ms. Baryshnikov?" he asked politely.

"_Da._" She looked him up and down. "You could not have chosen a cleaner place to meet? My boots will be ruined."

"I'm sure you understand the need for privacy," he said smoothly.

"Privacy, _da._ Idiocy? I am not used to tramping through mud." She glared at him, her dark eyes glittering. "Do you have some merchandise for me to look at, or not?"

"Of course, of course," he said, ushering her towards the door. "I must say, that's an impressive coat you're wearing."

"One of many," she said, gratifying him with a tight smile.

"I share your taste, I believe," he said, nodding towards his car. "Tiger skin seat covers."

She raised her eyebrow in what he chose to believe was interest. She was impressed, he was sure of it. Anyway, she was wearing one of _his_ furs – a fact both he_ and_ she knew from their telephone conversation that morning. He felt in charge again.

"Come inside, my dear, and let me show you your next purchase," he said.

She swept past him and he couldn't help but be afraid of her again.

"He has half his face covered, Mr. Plunder."

Wheeler resisted the urge to shudder – barely. The voice was cold and cruel and hard. And yet even so, somewhere deep within he felt a small flare of comfort as each syllable hit the air.

_My wife is Russian_.

He realised now just how much Linka's accent had faded. It came out now and then – when she was angry with him, or when she was upset about something. He supposed the four years spent in Russia during their break had strengthened it again – but this woman's accent sounded so strong; so broad and hard compared to his beautiful wife's voice.

"That is merely a safety measure," Plunder responded smoothly.

"Well how do I know this man is what I want when he has half of his face covered?"

The hairs on the back of Wheeler's neck stood up. He was suddenly glad he couldn't see this woman. He wondered if Plunder was just as afraid of her.

"Bleak, remove the blindfold," Plunder snapped.

Wheeler blinked as the blindfold fell away. The room was dim but it still took his eyes a moment to adjust to the new light. Plunder stood in front of him – and beside him stood a woman, tall and imposing in a long fur coat, her dark hair falling in straight, silky strands around her artfully pale face. She was looking down at him with glittering black eyes. He glared at her.

"He has been down here long?" she asked, sweeping her eyes over Wheeler's huddled form.

"He's been looked after, I can assure you," Plunder answered smoothly.

"He looks malnourished," she said coldly.

"Skipping a few meals won't hurt him," Bleak said, nudging Wheeler with his boot.

The woman glared at him, and Bleak stopped immediately. Wheeler shivered.

_I think I'd rather stay here with Plunder._

"You are asking a lot of money, Mr. Plunder," she said, lacing her gloved hands together in front of her.

_Leather boots and gloves, oh shit. She's some sort of kink freak and he's going to hand me over to her and God knows the sort of things she's going to want to do to me..._ _She's here to take me away and I'm never going to see Linka again; oh my God... _His mind started running crazy and sweat broke out on his brow.

"American men are hard to come by in this industry," Plunder said haughtily. "He's in high demand."

"_Da_, I know," the woman answered, sweeping her eyes over Wheeler again. "There is a blonde woman in the city asking for an American man."

"A blonde woman?" Plunder asked. His voice was hard and he glared down at Wheeler.

"_Da._ She seems quite eager to find herself a red-headed American man." The woman sounded amused and she raised a dark, finely-arched eyebrow at Plunder. "Does this mean much to you, Mr. Plunder?"

"No," Plunder said, a little too quickly. "I assure you, I have everything under control."

She barked a short laugh. "Mr. Plunder, I am not stupid. You have obviously never done this before. I am sure you are a clever man, and I am happy to do business with you, but do not underestimate me. This operation does not seem well-organised to me."

Plunder seemed to be fighting the urge to shudder. Wheeler knew how he felt.

_You see? _He tried to communicate with Plunder with his eyes. _She's a freak; you can't give me over to her. You're insane but even you have your limits, right? _

"I would not dream of underestimating you, my dear," he breathed graciously.

She turned her glittering eyes to him again. "Do not patronise me," she spat. "Are you forgetting just why I am here? I am interested in purchasing this man from you and I have as much respect for you as I do a dog. You are fortunate to be doing business with me – not the other way around. Now stand him up, I wish to see how tall he is."

Bleak cut the rope away from Wheeler's ankles and hauled him up. Wheeler's knee, however, gave out, and he fell, a muffled groan of pain fighting the gag in his mouth.

"Up!" Bleak snapped, pulling him up again.

"If I am to give you money for this man I would like him undamaged," the woman in the fur coat said coldly.

"Bleak!" Plunder snapped. "Be careful."

"He cannot stand?" she asked.

"He can stand," Plunder said smoothly. "It's just a bruise, I assure you. You can't expect him in mint condition when he fought so hard against coming here."

She gave him a thin smile. "I expect you to be able to recognise the risks and behave accordingly, Mr. Plunder," she said. "I shall not pay full price. Take twenty percent away from the final cost and you can have your money."

"Twenty percent?" Plunder asked, sounding outraged.

She didn't blink. "_Da._"

"For a bruise? Forget it." Plunder shook his head.

"He is malnourished and injured and dirty, Mr. Plunder. But if you like, I can send the pretty blonde and her friends down here?" She inspected her gloves and slipped her hands into her pockets. "She seems quite eager to find a young man fitting this description."

Wheeler could almost see steam coming out of Plunder's ears.

"This blonde woman," he asked curiously. "She had others with her, you say?"

"_Da._ She had three friends – another woman, and two men. Perhaps she wants a redhead for her collection as well?"

Bleak spat towards Wheeler's feet and dropped him again. Wheeler groaned as his knee caved under him, throbbing uncomfortably.

Plunder and Bleak exchanged a look, and Plunder made a quick decision. "Yes, you can take him," he said, waving his hands. "Twenty percent less. You're robbing me blind, you know."

"I believe I know more about this industry than you do, Mr. Plunder," the woman said, smiling cruelly. "You are still getting a good deal. I will arrange the money transfer now, if your Mr. Bleak will take this man up to my car?"

Bleak glanced to Plunder for approval and Plunder gave a short nod.

_Oh fuck, no, don't take me away, please! Linka, where are you? Come and find me, quick..._ Wheeler was breathing frantically through his nose, tugging at the ropes binding him. He'd never thought he'd see the day he'd want to stay within Plunder's company, but here it was.

Bleak quickly bound his ankles again and dragged him towards the door.

"If I find further bruises on him, Mr. Bleak, it will be another ten percent knocked off the price," the woman called after him.

Bleak muttered something under his breath, hauling Wheeler up the steep steps. Wheeler was fighting him every inch of the way, but there wasn't much he could do, bound as he was.

"The transfer?" the woman asked, turning to Plunder. "I would rather get it all done as soon as possible. I do not want to have to come back here. Dealing with amateurs does not fill me with confidence."

Plunder bit his tongue in order to stop a retort. _Twenty percent less than I'm asking and she thinks she can insult me to top it all off..._

He was printing the receipt to the electronic transaction when he noticed her looking at the Planeteer ring on his finger. She caught his eye and smirked, looking away.

"Is something wrong?" he asked stiffly.

"_Nyet._ That ring – it has significance for you?"

"Why?" he asked sharply.

She gave him a thin smile. "I thought you said your shared my tastes, Mr. Plunder. I did not expect to see you wearing a cheap trinket."

He blinked, and he could feel heat stealing into his cheeks. "It's valuable," said, denying her scorn. He folded his receipt and stuffed it into his pocket.

"How valuable?" she asked curiously. "It looks like a toy. Something a child might buy."

He sighed and tugged the ring off his finger, slipping it into his pocket. "I hope I fit your image now?" he asked sarcastically.

She glowered at him. "Typical," she said icily. "The sort of behaviour I would expect from an amateur. Not from a legitimate business man."

Her comment stung, and he was about to lose it completely when she mentioned she'd like to see his car again. Grappling with his anger, he led her outside again.

x

"Stay still, planet punk," Bleak snarled. The night air hit them like they'd stepped into a meat freezer. A silver car gleamed in the moonlight. The air smelled like ice and bitter fumes and pungent mud.

"Here we go," Bleak chuckled. He popped the trunk but Wheeler wrenched himself out of his grasp and fell to the ground, hitting the mud with a loud squelch. _Leave me here, I don't care. Don't send me away with her, Bleak, please..._

Bleak looked over his shoulder before sinking a boot into Wheeler's stomach.

The air knocked out of him, Wheeler was helpless as he was stuffed into the trunk.

_Bleak please, don't... Oh shit, she'll kill me. She'll take me away and I'll never see my wife again. You have to have a conscience in that big bald head of yours..._

"Glad I'm not goin' home with her," Bleak chuckled, looking down at the Fire Planeteer. "Icy bitch. Can't imagine it's goin' to be much fun for you from 'ere on." He slammed the lid of the drunk down and darkness enveloped Wheeler. He heard Bleak knock on the car and laugh. "Better you than me! 'ave a nice life, Planeteer."

Baryshnikov glanced over to Bleak, who was leaning against her car. He stood up straight as he saw her emerge.

"No trouble, I hope, Mr. Bleak?" she called across to him.

"He's in there," Bleak answered gruffly, motioning to the trunk of the car.

"_Da,_ good." She turned to Plunder. "And your car?" she asked, her voice suddenly saccharine. "I am interested in the tiger skins, Mr. Plunder. Where did you find them?"

"They were a personal acquisition," he said proudly, opening the door. She leaned over and brushed the car seat with a gloved hand.

"Beautiful," she said, beaming. "You _do_ have taste, Mr. Plunder."

"Of course."

"And do you have the time?"

"Almost nine," he informed her.

"Ah, I am running late. I must get home with my new – _acquisition._" She glanced over to her car, and then up to Plunder again. "Thank you, Mr. Plunder."

She leaned up against him and kissed each cheek lightly, her perfume clouding about his face. He spluttered and mumbled something about seeing her again.

She smiled at him. "_Da._ I am sure I will see you again. Many thanks to you."

Wheeler, locked in the trunk, closed his eyes, dread suffocating him. The car started and the ground had started to roll away beneath him – Plunder and Bleak probably celebrating already. He had no idea where he was being taken or who was taking him – and he had very little hope of the Planeteers knowing any more than he did.

Things had never looked so hopeless.

x


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay, here we go! Don't want to keep you hanging for too long. ;-)**

**x  
**

The car was travelling fast – he knew that much. Wheeler expected them to slide off the road at any moment, and both he and the woman in the fur coat would be killed. He had no idea how long he'd been shut in the trunk, but it was brutally cold. He was shivering violently when he finally felt the car slow. Gravel crunched and slid under the wheels and the engine cut out. He could hear his own breathing, frantic and shallow. The skin on his wrists was rubbed raw and it hurt to move.

The trunk was thrown open and she stood over him, the moon pale on her skin, her dark hair an astonishing contrast against the silvery light of the night. Tugging her gloves off, she reached forward and started picking at the tape across his mouth. Her hands were small and slender – and gentle.

_I'm gonna bite your fingers off as soon as you pull this tape away,_ he thought viciously. He blinked, and frowned. _Wait a second. Wait..._

He _knew_ those fingers. He had held those fingers and kissed those fingers and slipped rings onto those fingers...

She plucked the rag gently from his mouth and bent over him. "What have they done to you, my Yankee?" she whispered, stroking his face.

"Linka?" his voice was a croak – a combination of having a gag in his mouth for so long, and the shock of what he had just discovered.

She smiled at him. "_Da._ I do not think I need to be so worried about my disguise anymore."

"Oh my God..." Relief swept over him like warm water, and he fell back, feeling faint and like he could burst into hysterical tears at any moment.

She smiled, but she was still nervous, adrenaline making her fingers tremble as she tugged the ropes away from him. He leapt out of the back of the car immediately, and his knee buckled but she held him up, clutching him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in the shoulder of her fur coat – not caring, right then, about the pelts.

"You had me terrified," he said, and he couldn't help but heave a sob, so relieved and so frightened by the recent events.

She pulled away just enough to wipe her eyes, dark mascara running down her cheeks. "_Da_, I was frightened too," she wept.

"Do you know what could have happened to you down there?" he asked. His emotions were all over the place and he was suddenly furious with her for taking such a dangerous risk.

She simply laughed and shook her head, burying her face against his chest. "Do not lecture me, Yankee," she whispered. "I am too tired."

He grabbed her and pushed her against the car, leaning his full weight against her as though nothing would be enough until he physically melted into her. She could barely breathe, but she offered no complaint – simply squirming against him desperately, tears still tracking down her cheeks.

"Are you hurt?" she sobbed, her arms tight around him.

"No, I'm okay." He pulled back enough to land kisses on her face, the salt of her tears on his lips, her breath sweet and warm against him. "Jesus," he sighed. "Oh, Linka, if Plunder had found out it was you..."

"_You_ did not know it was me," she said, her face against his neck. She was biting him gently, desperate to be as close to him as she could.

He laughed and tightened his arms around her again, hearing her breath hitch in her throat. "Babe, I promise never to underestimate you again," he said.

She laughed and shook her head. "Okay, Yankee."

"Don't believe me, huh?"

She went to answer him but he kissed her, cutting off any protests she might have made.

"Look at you..." He pulled back and wiped his own eyes, still crying with relief and shock. Her dark hair stuck to her cheeks and her makeup had smudged and faded where she'd rubbed the tears on her face. Her eyes were still a deep, dark brown – almost black in the moonlight. The fur coat hid her beautiful, slender body under its awful bulk – and her heels added another several inches to her height.

"Do I scare you?" she asked, and she laughed helplessly. She was exhausted and frightened. She didn't want to let go of him.

"You _terrified_ me," he promised. "I thought you were some crazy Russian dominatrix, about to have her awful way with me."

She giggled and buried her face against his chest again. "As if you have never daydreamed about that before, Yankee..."

He shook his head and grinned. "No, I like my Russian just the way she is." He burrowed his head into her shoulder again. "Jesus, Linka... I didn't think I'd see you ever again. I thought that nightmare had come true..."

"Me too," she admitted, tears running down her face. "I have never been so frightened... I was afraid I would be too late and I would never see you again."

They held each other for a long time, swaying slightly, until she noticed he was shivering.

"_Bozhe moy_," she said, tugging away from him. "It is freezing and you do not have a jacket."

"Yours is – impressive," he said, stepping back.

She shuddered and shrugged out of it, offering it to him. He shook his head and she tossed it into the trunk and slammed the lid.

"As soon as Plunder saw it he was all over me," she said, wrinkling her nose.

He hugged her again, her body still warm from the fur coat, but slender and firm against him again, free of the extra bulk it had given her.

He kissed her gently. "Did he hurt you?"

"_Nyet._ And you are sure you are not hurt?"

"Just my leg. Plunder hit me in the knee with that stupid stick he carries around. I'll be okay." He tucked her head under his chin and she sighed with relief, snuggling into him.

"I need to talk to the others," she said tiredly. "They are waiting for me and they will be worried if they do not hear from me soon..."

"In a minute," he whispered, tilting her face up to his. "Come here, babe..."

She stretched up to him, her arms around his neck, and he kissed her deeply, hearing her moan softly as he moved his hands over her, pulling her hips against his. He held her tightly, but pulled away after a few minutes of frantic kissing.

"It's no good," he said, laughing a little. "I feel like I'm cheating on Linka with someone else."

She smiled and laughed herself, resting her head against his chest. "You really did not recognise me?"

"The voice, the hair, the makeup, the clothes... you're a chameleon, babe," he said admiringly.

"I was so afraid Plunder would see through it," she said, rubbing tired tears away. "The others were not going to let me go ahead with it, but I wanted to make sure I got to you first."

"Jeez, I'm glad you did," he muttered, pulling her close. He stroked her hair again, letting the long strands slip through his fingers. "How long is it going to take you to get back to normal?"

She smiled and reached up. After a few careful movements, the dark hair fell away into her hands – a wig. Her blonde hair was coiled tightly, plastered against her scalp, and he began to work at unpinning it, pushing his fingers into it and lifting the curls away, running his fingers through the knots and smoothing them out.

"Better?" she asked.

"Almost." He kissed her again, nuzzling her with his nose. "To be honest, I think you should lose the clothes, too."

She laughed and pushed him away. He hopped on the spot, his knee still aching. She held his hand tightly.

"We should go," she said tiredly. "I have to get in touch with Ma-Ti."

"Do you have your ring?"

She nodded and pulled a long, fine silver chain from under her clothing. He laughed when he saw the clutter of rings on the end. She pushed his wedding ring onto his finger and he sighed with relief.

"I wasn't sure you'd find it," he said. "I tried to throw it into the other alley so you'd see it and come and help me."

She kissed his palm and reached up to him again, unable to keep her body away from him for long. She sighed in the comfort of his arms, warm despite the icy air around them.

"Are there others?" she whispered. "Other people, with Plunder?"

"I didn't see anyone else," he said. "But there could be. I'm not sure. We'll find out."

She nodded firmly. "He will not get away with this," she said. "Nobody takes _my_ husband and tries to sell him."

He laughed. "We won't let him get away with it, don't worry."

She checked her watch, suddenly. "I really have to get in touch with Ma-Ti." She started rummaging through her pockets.

"Plunder still has my Planeteer ring," Wheeler muttered.

"_Nyet,_ he does not." She plucked it from the pocket of her trousers and held it up in front of him. "You said you would not underestimate me again."

He laughed in surprise and hugged her tightly. "Sorry."

She pushed his Planeteer ring on and finished organising her own – Planeteer ring on her right index finger, engagement and wedding rings pushed onto her left ring finger. She sighed happily, and clenched her right fist.

_Ma-Ti?_

_Linka? Are you okay?_

The haste at which he answered made her smile.

_Da, I am fine. Wheeler and I are just outside of town. We will meet you soon. _

"We should go," she whispered to him. "They are waiting for us."

He nodded, and shivered. They hurried into the car and she slid the heater to full, warm air blowing in on them as the engine quickly reheated. Wheeler slid across the seat to her and nestled into her, wrapping his arms around her waist as she steered them back onto the road and towards the city, lights hazy and misted through the snow that was starting to fall.

x

"I need to shower," Linka said tiredly, rubbing her face. She had taken her contacts out and her eyes were green again, but her hair was still knotted and lank, and the thick makeup was still covering her face – smudged and worn because of her tears.

"And the car needs to be returned. And that fur coat..." She winced at the thought of it, the memory of how it surrounded her body causing her more than a slight amount of misery.

"One thing at a time, babe," Wheeler said gently. His arm was still around Linka's shoulder – he could barely stand alone.

"And you're okay?" Gi asked anxiously, tugging on his hand.

He grinned at her. "Yup. I go for a high price, you know?"

"Twenty percent less than asking price, I heard," she answered, raising her eyebrow.

Wheeler gave Linka a look. "You told her?"

She smiled. "_Da_, I am afraid so. And you were purchased with your own money too, Yankee. Though, the transaction will have been reversed, by now. Plunder is not going to be too happy."

Wheeler laughed loudly. "Oh, man. You thought of everything, huh?"

"I hope so," Linka said anxiously. She looked towards the bathroom again. "I am going to shower."

Wheeler watched her leave, and he glanced back to the others. Suddenly, he didn't care what they thought. "Me too," he said, and he hurried after her, his limp barely slowing him down.

Ma-Ti and Kwame exchanged nervous glances.

"I think I will go and take care of the car," Kwame said, practically running from the room.

"And the fur coat needs to be taken care of, too," Ma-Ti said, sprinting after him.

Knowing they weren't going to achieve either task at this hour, Gi grinned and flopped back onto the bed, turning the television up a couple of extra notches, the volume drowning out the sound of running water and any other murmurs she may have otherwise been able to hear.

She was dozing when Wheeler emerged, still dripping, with a towel wrapped around his waist. He was still limping and she glanced down to his knee, which was black with bruising.

"Where are Kwame and Ma-Ti?" he asked.

"They left." She grinned sleepily at him. "I'm not as bashful. I heard _everything._"

"Sure." He muted the television and she smiled and stretched.

He smiled back, tiredly, and collapsed onto the second bed. "So has the past week been rough on you too, _danbi_?" he asked. He could feel the cooler air of the bedroom on his wet skin and he thought he should get dressed, but he was too tired to move.

"Not as rough as your week, I'm sure," she said, sounding somewhat sympathetic. "But we were all very worried about you."

He shot her another weary smile. "No replacements were lined up for me, then?"

"She wouldn't hear of it," Gi answered, nodding her head towards the bathroom.

He chuckled softly and sighed, closing his eyes.

"_Wheeler_, how many times do you have to be told to _dry_ yourself before you get into bed?" Linka asked, sounding exasperated.

He smiled, but didn't open his eyes. "I love you too, babe."

**XX**


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks to those of you leaving regular reviews :) I really do appreciate you offering your thoughts on what I'm posting here!**

**Sorry about the patchy updates - I'm back and forth between dodgy internet connections for the next week or so. ;-)**

**x  
**

The room was dim and quiet. Wheeler blinked tiredly, wondering what time it was, but too comfortable to check. He rolled slowly, wincing as he straightened his leg, and cuddled into his wife, her skin naked and warm against his own. He listened to her breathing, deep and heavy with sleep.

He glanced over to the other bed, but Gi had gone. He presumed she had camped in with Kwame and Ma-Ti for the night, leaving him and Linka to themselves.

He sighed, feeling exhausted and weak, but unable to fall back into the pleasant unawareness of sleep. He watched Linka instead, her skin pale and thin with the stress of the past few days, her hair loose and soft on the pillow around her. Her arms were tucked up between her chest and his, her fists loosely clenched. He slipped his hand into hers and smiled as it tightened slightly before going slack again.

He had been alternating between admiration and fear for the past few hours. Admiration for her bravery, and the way she had managed to slip into an entirely different persona – enough to fool _him_, let alone Plunder... And then, fear, as he thought about what would have happened if the plan had gone wrong. What could have happened if she hadn't convinced Plunder, if she had said the wrong thing or given _anything_ away to raise his suspicions...

He shuddered, and slid his arms around her, drawing her close. She sighed before settling again. He kissed the top of her head. They were going to have a long day tomorrow – Plunder still needed to be stopped, and there was a possibility that other men and women out there needed to be found and returned to safety.

Linka muttered something in Russian, burrowing into him, and she sighed again. He winced as her leg knocked against his sore knee. He wasn't sure how much help he was going to be during the rescue mission – the bruise still throbbed uncomfortably.

She appeared to be waking up, and he hoped he wasn't responsible. He stroked her hair gently, waiting – but she spoke before opening her eyes.

"Wheeler?"

"Mm." He dropped his forehead against hers. "Did I wake you?"

She shook her head and clasped his hand a little tighter. "Is it morning?"

"Not quite."

She nestled against him and he knew she'd fallen asleep again, exhaustion taking over. Sleep eventually came for him again too, but he was restless, waking frequently to watch her and adjust his hold on her – not wanting to let her go.

x

"So tell me how you thought up that magnificent plan," he murmured, stroking her cheek with his thumb.

"Plunder has a contact in town," Linka said, shifting a little closer to him. "He provides furs for a store here. I was asking people if they had seen Plunder – if they could recognise him from a photograph. The woman who owns the store recognised him, but she wouldn't give me his details.

"I convinced the others to help me with a disguise, and go back as a customer. They were not going to let me – but I said I would do it with or without their help. When I had the wig on, and I forced my accent, they began to think maybe I could do it."

"There's no way I would have recognised you," he said, leaning his forehead against hers. "You terrified me. I honestly had no idea it was you."

She smiled gently. "I told the woman I was interested in making contacts with the fur industry. I left her the name of an expensive hotel, and I went and rented a room and waited. Plunder called me a few hours later, wanting more praise for his work.

"I told him I had heard of his involvement in human trading and that I wanted the American man for my _collection._"

"Collection? Babe, that's creepy," he whispered.

She kissed him miserably. "I thought I would be too late."

He shuddered. "I'm glad you weren't."

She smiled. "_Da._ Plunder thought I was creepy too, I think. But he believed I was legitimate." She bit her lip. "I do not think I will ever forgive myself for purchasing that fur," she moaned. "Especially from the store he does business with."

"Ma-Ti is going to return it this morning," Wheeler said gently. "And it got me back."

"_Da_, I know," she whispered gratefully. "You are the most important thing to me, Wheeler."

He grinned and kissed the end of her nose. "Right back at you, babe."

She smiled, and continued. "Once I arrived and saw Plunder... I was so angry... I did not think I could keep it together." She rubbed her face tiredly. "I am just glad we got out of there so fast. I think he was eager to pass you over to someone – anyone. I think he was afraid the Planeteers would be after him."

"And my ring? How did you manage that?"

"I insulted him and said it looked like a cheap trinket. He took it off and put it in his pocket, and I stole it when I was kissing him goodbye."

"You kissed him goodbye?" Wheeler asked in disgust.

"The cheek," she clarified quickly. She grimaced. "It was disgusting."

He laughed and pulled her close, kissing her quickly. "Let me take your mind off it."

Things escalated quickly. His hands tracked the wonderfully familiar curves of her body, and she rolled on top of him and pushed her fingers into his hair, ensuring their kisses were firm and deep.

He was biting Linka's shoulder gently, and adjusting his hands on her hips, when Gi burst in and threw the curtains open.

"Good morning!" she cried.

Linka shrieked and rolled off him, clutching the blankets to her body and tumbling off the bed, pulling the sheets with her.

"Hey!" Wheeler yelped. He held a pillow tightly to his hips, but Gi was already grinning.

She raised her eyebrow. "Nice."

Linka threw a cushion at her, and Gi disappeared back into the other room, laughing.

Wheeler flopped back onto the bed. "She's dead," he muttered. "Dead."

Linka struggled up and kissed him gently. "Up and at them, Yankee?"

He groaned and threw his arm over his eyes. "I was."

x

Wheeler and Gi were artfully avoiding one another's eyes, though she was still grinning. Linka was checking his knee – which was no longer swollen, but still very bruised and painful.

"I'm not sure how I'm going to be able to walk on it," Wheeler said doubtfully. "I'm glad you stole my ring back – and me, for that matter – but you couldn't have tried to steal Plunder's cane, as well?"

She raised her eyebrow. "I did not want to push my luck."

He chuckled and rubbed his knee gently. "It still really hurts."

"Perhaps he fractured something," she said worriedly, prodding gently. "It needs to be x-rayed."

"Later," he said dismissively. "After we get Plunder."

She hesitated only a moment. "_Nyet_, we will get this checked first. You do not want to damage it any further."

"We'll go and take care of the car and the fur coat, then," Gi suggested. "The shop should be open by now. We can drop you at the hospital on the way."

"Come on," Wheeler said fretfully. "I don't need to go to hospital."

"What is it with men and hospitals?"Linka asked in surprise, already sliding into her jacket.

"It forces them to admit they're vulnerable," Gi answered, still deliberating avoiding Wheeler's eye contact.

"Seriously, I don't need a hospital visit," Wheeler said. "I'm fine. I can just limp everywhere."

Linka leaned over him and kissed him. "Please, Yankee? I do not want you to walk on it and be in pain. It could be fractured."

He sighed, knowing she was going to win. "Fine. But can we do breakfast first? I haven't eaten in days and it's starting to physically hurt."

She smiled and kissed him again. "Deal."

"Okay, break it up," Gi said, clapping her hands. "A distance of three feet between you at all times, please."

x

Linka was speaking rapid Russian to the doctor, and Wheeler couldn't understand a word of it. He knew terms of endearment – and swear words – and he had learned a few phrases here and there. But he had no chance of following the rapid exchange of words between his wife and the doctor.

Finally, she smiled down at him. "Good news, Yankee," she said. "It is not fractured; it is just a bruise. You are supposed to stay off it and rest."

"Fat chance of that happening," he denied immediately. "I'll rest once Plunder is behind bars."

The doctor moved away, and Linka sighed and sat on the edge of his bed.

"Why can you not just rest for a little while?" she asked anxiously, her hand on his cheek.

"Babe, Plunder is still out there," he said. "What if he has other people out there, frightened and hurt? We have to find them and bring them home, and I'm not gonna let a bruised knee stop me from accomplishing that."

She nodded and put her head on his shoulder, and he hugged her.

"I was so worried about you," she whispered. "There is a little part of me that would just like to go home and try to forget everything. Just to have you safe with me."

He chuckled, and kissed her. "I know, babe. Me too. But deep down, we both know neither of us is leaving until this job is finished. Right?"

She nodded.

"So can we go and get back to work now?"

"I suppose so," she whispered. She clenched his hand tightly, and fear fluttered at the bottom of her stomach again.

x

"Wheeler!"

He turned back to face Linka, preparing himself for an argument.

"You are supposed to _rest_ your knee, and that means using the crutches." She motioned pointedly to the crutches he had abandoned the moment they'd entered their hotel room again.

"I don't need them, okay?" He drew her close. "It's not that bad babe; honestly."

"The doctor said to stay off your knee," she said, her voice muffled in his shoulder. "Can you resist being stubborn for just _one_ day?"

"Pick a day when this is over and I promise not to be stubborn for the whole day," he said, squeezing her tightly.

She muttered Russian into his coat and he recognised _those_ words all right. He laughed and kissed the top of her head.

"As soon as we sort Plunder out, we can go home and rest up," he promised. "I can't say this was my idea of a honeymoon."

She smiled at him. "_Da_, I know. So long as you are okay, Yankee."

"I'm fine," he promised. "But this still isn't over, and Plunder wants _you_, so..." He rested his forehead against hers. "You know what you were saying, back at the hospital, about just wanting to go home and forget everything?"

"Mm?" She closed her eyes, feeling tired.

"I'm starting to think maybe you had the right idea."

She smiled and stretched up to kiss him without opening her eyes. "Neither of us would seriously leave, though, hm?"

"I don't want him to hurt you," Wheeler whispered. "He means business this time, Linka. And he really wants to track you down... Bleak was talking about..." Wheeler shuddered as he remembered the fragmented conversations and bragging Bleak had offered each time he'd come into the cell to check on Wheeler.

"I think someone has put an _order_ in for you," Wheeler said weakly, and he clutched her with a strength he didn't know he had.

"But that is ridiculous," Linka answered breathlessly, hugging him as though to comfort him. "Who could do such a thing, Wheeler?" She smiled at him, looking braver than she felt. "They were lying to you. They wanted to frighten you."

He nodded, and his hold on her slacked slightly, but the heavy feeling in his chest didn't leave, and he couldn't shake the queasy feeling in his stomach.

x

"Right, here's the plan," Gi said authoritatively, heaving her bag into the geo-cruiser. "We take the cruiser out somewhere and shift around, camping out so Plunder has less chance of finding us. We can keep –"

"Do you _all_ think there is an _order_ in for me?" Linka asked in frustration.

"Yes," Wheeler answered firmly, clamping an arm around her and holding her to his side. "Yes, okay? Sludge and Skumm talked about it in New York, and Bleak wouldn't shut up about getting hold of you for someone Plunder knows. So, yes. We all think there's been a specific _request_ for you."

Linka bit her lip, stubbornly refusing to believe it, but not seeing any point in arguing against it further.

Kwame picked up where Gi had left off. "We will take the geo-cruiser," he said. "We can escape quickly if we need to, and it will be harder for Plunder to track us if we move around."

"We still need to find out if he has other people," Ma-Ti said desperately. "I cannot feel anyone else down there, where Wheeler was, but it was hard to sense anything. Even with my connection to Wheeler I could not trace him. I may not be able to feel strangers down there. Plunder is casting a shadow and I cannot see through it."

Kwame nodded. "We will find out, Ma-Ti. And we will not let Plunder get away with this. There is bound to be evidence of him organising trades."

"Phone records," Linka said, nodding. "And the money transfer I organised for Wheeler will have been reversed – but there will still be records of it. Plunder will have to explain it." She lowered her eyes and reddened a little. "Though, it may also cause me some trouble. It was not exactly legal, doing what I did. I will have to try and explain myself and hope my actions sound reasonable..."

"Maybe we can't rely on that particular evidence then," Gi said, squeezing Linka's hand. "But there'll be something else out there."

**XX**


	20. Chapter 20

**Haha, you know you've been writing too much Captain Planet fic when you spend all day at work writing the word "Linka" instead of "link" when referring to your work website! Curses!**

**x**

Kwame was staring out into the dark with an intensity that was giving him a headache.

It had just been a slight movement – something shifting in the moonlight, a shadow falling across shadow, a blot on the landscape he had spent the past two hours studying.

_An animal_, he concluded eventually, settling back into his seat. If Ma-Ti had been awake, Kwame would have asked him to scan the area and make sure – but the Heart Planeteer had just come off his watch and fallen into a sound sleep, and Kwame didn't want to wake him.

They had left the hotel – preferring to leave no trail through bookings and payments and reservations, and instead camping in whatever space they could find within the geo-cruiser. Gi had landed them in a half-frozen, muddy field, and they had bunkered down to sleep, Ma-Ti taking the first watch.

Wheeler had divulged his fears to the others: That someone had put in a specific order for Linka, and Plunder was hunting her down.

She had refused to believe it, but Kwame was worried. It was true that in New York, Skumm and Sludge had discussed handing Linka over to Plunder. Relieved that someone had believed him and was just as intent on keeping Linka safe, Wheeler had fallen into an exhausted sleep, relying on Kwame, Ma-Ti and Gi to keep an eye on things.

Kwame sat up straight again. He'd seen the movement again, and this time the shadow looked distinctly human. The clouds parted, and Kwame cursed softly. The silvery moonlight caught the bare dome of Bleak's bald head as he moved forward towards the geo-cruiser – and revealed the Planeteers to him just as easily.

Rather than waste time waking the others and organising a fight against Bleak, Kwame flicked switches and jetted the cruiser rapidly into the air.

Gi woke with a gasp. "What's going on?" she asked in confusion, staggering to her feet.

Kwame glanced down, feeling a heady combination of relief and smugness as he saw the furious look on Bleak's face.

"We had a visitor," Kwame answered quietly. He glanced back to the others. Ma-Ti was awake and yawning, settling himself into his seat again – but Linka and Wheeler were still curled up in their nest of blankets at the back, exhaustion ensuring they stayed asleep.

"He's really after Linka, isn't he?" Gi asked in a small voice. "I think we should just get out of here, Kwame."

Bleak now far behind them, Kwame flicked the auto-pilot switch and settled back in his seat. "I have been thinking about that too, Gi," he admitted. "But how many other people does Plunder have his eye on?"

Gi swallowed and nodded silently.

"We will take no chances," Kwame promised her. He was still upset about Linka entering Plunder's lair in disguise. Granted, it had worked, but Kwame had been sick with worry, and secretly furious that she insisted upon doing something so dangerous and reckless. He vowed to himself not to let her do something like that again – he'd handcuff himself to her, if that's what it took.

"So Bleak found us," Gi said, yawning. "I wonder how he managed that. Was Plunder there?"

"I did not see him," Kwame admitted. "He could have been. Once the moon came out I could see Bleak – but he could see us as well, and I did not want to hang around to see if he had help."

"Good thing you were awake," Gi said, slinging herself into the seat beside him. "You want a coffee?"

Kwame shook his head and she took his hand and squeezed it gently. "Don't be mad at Linka," she whispered. "She's okay."

He smiled. "I am not mad, Gi."

"Maybe not at her," she admitted, conceding slightly. "But you're mad at yourself for letting her go."

He nodded silently.

"You know, you can't _always_ tell us what to do," she said teasingly. "Nobody is boss, in this team. We look up to you, Kwame, and you're right 99 per cent of the time. You're careful and you're caring and you look after all of us and we love you a lot, but you have to trust us sometimes. We look up to you but each of us is just as important when it comes to making the final decision. You know?"

"I do trust you," he said. He got prickly whenever somebody resisted him, and he wished she'd leave him and go back to sleep.

"Don't get defensive," Gi said gently, knowing him too well to give up so soon. "If you'd doubted her disguise for a moment, you'd have kept her behind," she said. "But the truth is she did it well enough to fool _us_. Even Wheeler didn't recognise her. So you trusted her and you let her go, because you knew it was the best chance we had. Time wasn't on our side, and we weren't sure how long Plunder was going to keep Wheeler around."

He nodded silently, turning things over in his mind. "I would not have forgiven myself..." He said quietly, trailing off.

"No, I know," Gi said, agreeing. "Ma-Ti and I feel the same way. But it wouldn't have been your fault if something _had_ gone wrong. Linka's a big girl. She knew the risks but nothing was going to stop her, and we just had to trust her."

Kwame nodded tiredly.

"You should get some sleep," Gi whispered, stroking his cheek gently. "I can take over, now. I'll land us somewhere safe, I promise."

He chuckled. "I trust you, Gi." He kissed her hand gently and got up, moving towards the back of the geo-cruiser and sinking into one of the vacant seats to sleep.

x

"So does he know you guys got me back – or does he still think I'm locked in a cellar somewhere thanks to Ms. Baryshnikov, over here?" Wheeler asked, cupping his mug of coffee in both hands and nodding towards Linka.

"I am not sure how well they could see us – but you and Linka were sleeping at the back. I do not think he saw either of you," Kwame said. "I am not sure how they found us."

"He has feelers out everywhere," Wheeler muttered darkly. "And it's not like the geo-cruiser is easy to forget. One of his cronies saw us and tipped him off."

The sun had just come up, and the five Planeteers were sitting around trying to warm themselves in the weak light, cups of coffee and toast crusts in their hands.

Gi yawned sleepily. "So what's our move, today?" she asked. "Go in and confront Plunder?"

Kwame glanced to Linka. "That sounds risky," he said cautiously.

Linka couldn't take it anymore. She clapped her empty coffee mug loudly down on the wing of the geo-cruiser and put her hands on her hips. "_Bozhe moy_," she snapped. "Do none of you trust me? Do you not think I can take care of myself? Could you all please _think_ for a moment about what I did and how well I did it, and think maybe you can trust me and not have to babysit me every moment?"

"Linka –" Wheeler said sharply.

"_Nyet_, Wheeler, shut up," she snapped. "I am tired of you all looking at me as though I am slowing you down."

"You are not in disguise anymore, Linka," Kwame said icily. "Plunder is looking for you."

"How many times has Plunder been involved in something we have investigated?" Linka asked, staring at them all in turn. "I am not afraid of him."

"Guys, come on," Gi pleaded. "Arguing isn't getting us anywhere. Let's finish breakfast and take a few minutes to cool off." She tugged on Linka's arm. "Come on. Just a few minutes, to sort yourself out."

Linka spun on her heel and stomped off.

"I'll try and calm her down," Gi muttered. "Try and get your heroism and testosterone under control, could you? She's tough, and we're all going to stick together, so stop treating her like she's going to break into pieces."

She hurried after Linka, her hands in her pockets, slipping and stumbling a little in the muddy field.

"Do not go too far!" Kwame called, unable to help himself.

Gi waved over her shoulder at him.

Wheeler ran his hands through his hair in frustration.

"She has had it rough, the past few days," Ma-Ti said gently, putting his hand on Wheeler's shoulder. "She is still feeling tired and a little stressed." He gave Kwame a surprisingly stern look. "We are being a little hard on her. She knows the risks."

"Yeah, but she won't take them into consideration!" Wheeler said, his temper frayed. "The thought of Plunder getting his hands on her – it just..." He shook his head, his breath running out at the thought of Linka being handed over to someone as a piece of property.

"So what do we do?" Kwame asked heavily.

Wheeler shrugged and stared down at the mud. He just wanted to go home.

x

"You okay?" Gi asked, finally catching up to Linka.

"_Da,_ Gi," Linka sighed, scrubbing at her face. "Just tired, I think."

"They're just worried," the Water Planeteer said. "It's not that they don't trust you."

"I know," Linka said wearily. She sank down onto the stone wall that separated the field from the road. "To be honest, I wish we could go home."

Gi wrapped her arm around Linka's shoulders. "As soon as we figure out how deep this goes, we'll go straight home," she said. "We just need to find out if he has hold of anyone else."

"I should have asked him," Linka said guiltily. "I was not thinking of anyone else. Only Wheeler."

"It's okay," Gi comforted.

"I am being too stubborn," Linka sighed, squinting back at the geo-cruiser. "I know I am frustrating them."

"Don't forget me," Gi said, grinning.

Linka laughed and buried her face in Gi's shoulder. "I just think it is ridiculous – someone putting in a _request_ for me. To own me. Does that not sound ridiculous?"

"Sounds scary to me," Gi murmured, hugging her friend. "Think about it, Linka," she said. "Blight hasn't been around since you uploaded that virus into MAL. Could that be fixed?"

Linka blinked, her blood suddenly running cold. "I am not sure," she admitted. "It was the first time I used that virus on anything..."

"Well, what if you did MAL in for good?" Gi asked, leaning back a little and brushing Linka's hair out of her eyes. "What if Blight has asked Plunder to send you over so she can get her revenge?"

"Why would Blight not just come after me herself?" Linka asked, feeling a little timid now.

Gi shrugged. "I've never understood how that woman's brain works," she answered. "All I'm saying is that there's a possibility out there, okay? So please don't get short with us for worrying about you. We know you can look after yourself, and what you did to get Wheeler back proved that – but don't get mad at us anymore. Please?"

Linka nodded and hugged her friend tightly. "I am sorry, Gi," she sighed. "It has been an awful week. I suppose I have just had enough, and you are the ones who have to suffer the consequences."

Gi leaned wearily against Linka. She was tired, too. She hadn't had much sleep the past few days, and the bickering and worrying that was being bounced back and forth was beginning to wear her down.

"There is a car coming," Linka said, her voice muffled in Gi's shoulder. "We should get away from the road."

Gi nodded tiredly, and they slipped down off the wall, letting their feet sink back into the mud.

"I can understand the need to hide," Gi sighed, lifting her foot and indicating the clumpy clay that lifted away with her shoe, "But I sure miss that hotel room."

Linka took her hand and they helped each other across the deep plough lines at the edge of the field.

The squeal of tyres on the road made Linka look back over her shoulder, and her stomach plummeted.

"Run!" she cried, tugging on Gi's hand. "Hurry!"

_Ma-Ti, hurry! We need Captain Planet. Bleak is here. Plunder will be coming._

Linka stumbled and Gi pulled her up as there was a muffled _pop_ and a bullet whizzed past them.

Giving a panicked cry as she let go of Gi's hand, Linka held her ring up and uttered _Wind_ as she saw Wheeler's beam of fire power join Kwame's.

"_Water_," Gi gasped, holding her arm aloft and looking back over her shoulder in a panic.

Linka felt relief as she saw Ma-Ti's beam streak towards the others.

_Wait. One, two, three, four... Someone is missing. Where is...?_

She turned. Gi had been right behind her. They had been running together and Gi had turned for a split second, just to see how far Bleak was...

"Gi!"

The Water Planeteer lay crumpled on the ground, gasping. "What... what..." she tried to pull herself up and instead rolled over, her face white and her breath heavy and wet, tearing from her body.

Linka scrambled back to her and fell to her knees, but Bleak had vaulted the fence and was running towards them.

"_Wind_!" she cried. She sent him tumbling backwards. "Hurry, Gi," she begged.

She saw it, then. It was on the ground, staining the mud a deep scarlet – running freely from Gi's shoulder, spreading outwards on the pretty material of her jacket.

She looked up towards the geo-cruiser in horror. "Wheeler!" she screamed. "Hurry!"

Kwame was almost to them. He had sprinted the moment Gi's beam had disappeared. Ma-Ti was not far behind, but Wheeler's knee prevented him from any fast movement. After a quick moment of indecision, he threw himself into the geo-cruiser and powered it up, steering it around and jetting across the short distance between them.

"She has been shot," Linka sobbed, hysterical as Kwame slid up beside them.

"Come on, Gi," he said gently, not hesitating. He gathered her into his arms. "We will get you to a hospital."

Another muffled shot rang out. Bleak was up, and trying to clamber over the wall again.

"_Wind_!"

"Get in the geo-cruiser, Linka," Kwame ordered. His voice was shaky, and he hefted Gi gently in his arms.

Ma-Ti tugged Linka backwards. "Hurry!" he pleaded. "Bleak will be back, and Plunder will not be far away."

Linka scrambled into the geo-cruiser and came face-to-face with Wheeler. He pushed her gently into one of the seats.

"Don't move," he said.

"Wheeler –"

"I mean it!"

He held the door and Ma-Ti hurried in, moving to the pilot's seat immediately. Wheeler helped Kwame and Gi in, and slammed the door down. He could see Bleak sprinting to the cruiser, a furious look on his face. When he caught sight of Wheeler he stumbled, and slowed.

"Go, Ma-Ti!" Wheeler ordered.

Ma-Ti jetted them rapidly into the air. A bullet hit the underside of the cruiser, biting deep into the metal, but it didn't hit anything vital, and the Heart Planeteer had soon steered them clear of the field.

"How are you doing, little mermaid?" Wheeler asked, kneeling next to Gi.

"I'm okay," Gi said through gritted teeth. She tried to smile, but she winced instead. Her face was pale and tear-streaked. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"It's not your fault, _danbi_," Wheeler said, squeezing her hand. "Hang in there."

She nodded, but she looked frightened and in pain. Linka laid a cool hand across her friend's forehead.

"If you had not followed me you would be okay," she said tearfully. "I should have listened to Kwame."

Kwame lifted his head and smiled briefly at Linka. "This is not your fault either, Linka," he said kindly. "This will be okay. We will get Gi to a hospital and everything will be okay."

Linka leaned against the wall of the geo-cruiser, Kwame's voice and quiet calmness helping her heart slow just a little.

Wheeler had eased Gi's arm out of her jacket and was busying arranging a thick padding over the wound, which was still oozing blood.

"This is gonna hurt a bit, okay?" he warned.

She nodded and bit her lip as he pressed his palm over the bandage, leaning pressure into her shoulder and slowing the blood.

"Uh – Kwame?" Ma-Ti called. "Could you come here for a moment?"

Kwame hurried to the front of the geo-cruiser, but the trouble was soon apparent to everyone else.

Plunder's helicopter was trailing them.

"Gi?" Kwame called. "Are you strong enough to call Captain Planet?"

She hesitated for a moment, and then shook her head tearfully. "No," she whispered.

"It's okay, Gi," Wheeler said gently. "We'll be okay."

"Strap yourselves in, or hold on!" Ma-Ti called. "I am going to try and get away from him. He is not going to want us to get to a hospital."

"Seatbelt," Wheeler said to Linka, squeezing her hand.

She nodded, pale and guilty, and sat opposite him and Gi, buckling her seatbelt tightly.

"Here we go, _danbi," _he whispered, wrapping his arm around Gi. "Hang on tight."

x

Wheeler didn't drink much, but when he did he liked something called _Hudson Manhattan Rye Whiskey,_ and there had to be an odd number of ice-cubes in the bottom of the glass – one, three or five.

Linka wasn't sure why she was recalling this odd little titbit of information as the geo-cruiser whined and smoked around her, and Gi's blood made a slow, steady path across the floor. She supposed it had stemmed from the thought of needing a little something extra for bravery, and she had looked at Wheeler to see if he could make her better with that big, brave smile of his – but he looked pale and worried and she had instantly thought _He could use a drink._

Two of the solar panels on the right side of the geo-cruiser had been shattered thanks to Bleak's bullets, hammering sporadically from Plunder's helicopter, which was keeping a worrying pace alongside them. A trail of blue smoke was rising from one of them, and whenever Ma-Ti tried to bank left, the cruiser shuddered and made a whining noise that worried them all into mutters and nervous glances.

"He is only after me," Linka said eventually. "Just let me out and get Gi to hospital."

"No," Kwame said softly.

That was the end of conversation, until Gi's head lolled onto Wheeler's shoulder.

Linka unbuckled her seatbelt and slid down to kneel beside her.

"Don't go to sleep, Gi," Wheeler said softly, his hand lifting her chin gently.

"I feel dizzy," she whispered.

"Okay, I know, but don't go to sleep," Wheeler warned.

Linka grabbed a blanket from the back seat and draped it over Gi's legs, taking her friend's limp hand and enfolding it within her own. "Gi?" she whispered.

Gi's breath was deep and desperate, and when Linka felt her pulse, it was worryingly rapid.

"Ma-Ti?" Linka asked.

"Not much further," Ma-Ti said, trying to sound calm. It wasn't easy. The city was in sight now, and Plunder and Bleak were growing increasingly desperate to stop the Planeteers reaching help. Ma-Ti and Kwame were frantically trying to avoid Bleak's bullets and stay on course for the hospital.

They all ducked as one of the windows blew out, glass shattering across the seats and the floor. The geo-cruiser shuddered as the pressure in the cabin changed.

"He only wants me," Linka said urgently, looking Wheeler in the eyes. "I think he wants to hand me over to Doctor Blight, for what I did to MAL."

She took Wheeler's hand. "I am going to go through the escape hatch in the floor, and land myself in the field using my ring. Get Gi to a hospital."

"Don't even think about it," Wheeler said, grabbing her wrist. "You're not doing something so dangerous."

She leaned forward and kissed him, unwinding his fingers from around her arm. "You said you would not underestimate me again," she said softly, smiling at him.

"Don't do that," he said. His face was pale. "I take it back, if this is where it's going to lead us. You'll get hurt, Linka."

She shook her head. "I can land myself gently," she said, holding up her ring.

"No," he pleaded. "Don't."

"Gi needs a doctor, and Plunder will not let us go," Linka said. She stroked Gi's hair gently. The Water Planeteer was barely conscious, her breath desperate and raw as she tried to sink enough into her lungs.

"Then I'm coming too," Wheeler said. "Kwame!"

"_Nyet_, Wheeler," Linka said desperately.

"You let me come, or not go at all," he said sternly. He passed Gi gently into Kwame's arms, whispering to her softly and kissing her temple.

"Keep pressure on it," he said, wincing as he noticed the bandage over Gi's shoulder was soaked crimson. "Come and find Linka and I once Gi is safe."

Kwame opened his mouth to argue, but neither of them gave him the time to stop them. Wheeler threw the hatch open and wrapped his arms around Linka's waist, before they dropped out of the belly of the geo-cruiser, plummeting towards the fields below.

**XX**


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks to everyone reviewing! :) **

**This chapter is looonng... It was originally two chapters but I think it sounds better merged. There are some light adult themes and I think there might be a bit of language in here too.**

**Enjoy! ;)**

**x  
**

Linka felt both relief and fear when Plunder's helicopter peeled away from the geo-cruiser and began to descend over the field she and Wheeler had landed in.

"Is your knee okay?" she asked softly.

"Yeah," Wheeler muttered, taking her hand. "Just don't let him whack it again and I'll be okay."

They waited nervously. Gi's blood was sticky on Wheeler's hands, and he hoped the geo-cruiser would fly fast enough to get her to a hospital in time.

"Don't let go of my hand," Wheeler said, crushing her fingers in a vice-like grip.

"Hold my left hand," she whispered. "I want to be able to use my ring."

He stepped in front of her as Plunder's helicopter landed and grabbed her left hand in his, sheltering her behind him.

She felt sick, suddenly. She wondered if she had done the right thing. She wondered if they would have made it to hospital anyway, and they could all have been safe. Now Wheeler was in front of her, and Plunder and Bleak were heading for them, guns in their hands.

"Yankee..." Her throat was dry. She leaned her forehead against his back, turning her head and listening to his heartbeat drum loudly.

"Don't let go of me," he said, not able to say anything else.

Plunder stepped delicately over a clump of dirt and hefted his gun slightly. "Take the rings off," he said. "And don't try and use them."

Bleak pointed his gun at Wheeler.

Gripping Wheeler's hand tightly, Linka used her teeth to tug her ring off, and she threw it at Plunder miserably. Up close, it didn't seem worth the risk. Wheeler's Planeteer ring soon followed her own.

"Look, Bleak," Plunder said, sounding a little admiring. "He stole his ring back from that Russian bitch."

Wheeler bit back a snort. "Make sure you hang onto it, this time," he said sarcastically. "Picked it out of your pocket, didn't she?"

"Shut up, Pyro," Plunder said icily, slipping the rings into his pocket. "Bring them both, Bleak."

"We only need one," Bleak argued, waving his gun towards Linka, who was hastily hidden behind Wheeler's back again.

"Don't think you're taking her anywhere without me," Wheeler snarled.

"Don't think you have a choice, Planeteer," Plunder snapped. "You're only coming because I have questions for you. Hurry up."

Not willing to push their luck with further attempts to stall Plunder, Wheeler and Linka trudged across the field to his helicopter, still holding hands tightly.

"Looks like you've got a fair amount of blood on your hands, Planeteers," Plunder chuckled.

Wheeler felt the blood rush to his face as his anger sparked up. "If Gi dies, I swear to God, Plunder, I'm gonna –"

"Shut up," Bleak snarled, gesturing with his gun.

Linka clenched Wheeler's hand desperately. _I wish you were with the others, and safe._

x

Kwame's arms felt hideously empty without Gi in them. He stood in the hospital corridor, aware he was covered in mud and a worrying amount of blood.

Ma-Ti finally found him and tugged his arm gently, bringing him back to conscious thought.

"Where did you park the geo-cruiser?" Kwame asked in a low voice.

"Behind the hospital," Ma-Ti answered breathlessly. "But I do not think I can leave it there long."

Kwame shook his head. "I am going to find Wheeler and Linka."

"But what if Gi –"

"Stay with her," Kwame said urgently. "Get in touch the instant you know anything. The police will be here, Ma-Ti, and you will have to deal with them. I am sorry for leaving it all with you, but Wheeler and Linka are in trouble."

Ma-Ti nodded and patted Kwame's arm comfortingly. "I will call as soon as I know anything. I hope you will do the same."

Kwame nodded anxiously. His mouth felt dry, like cotton, and if he stopped to think about anything in any detail he thought he'd fall apart.

"Tell me where they are," he whispered.

Ma-Ti did a quick search, biting his lip as he came across the familiar, cloudy shadows of Bleak and Plunder.

"Flying west," he said. "Hurry."

Kwame gave him a final nod and hurried away. He didn't want to be held up by the police – and carrying a gunshot victim into a hospital was one of the best ways to meet them.

x

The geo-cruiser shuddered violently as Kwame steered it around and jetted it west. Warning lights were dotted across the dashboard, but he couldn't afford the time to repair the faults they indicated. The left solar panels held enough energy to keep him in the air for several hours yet – provided the damage and the shattered window didn't add too much drag to his flight.

He felt as though he could collapse into a nervous heap at any moment. He could smell smoke, and the metallic, cold smell of congealing blood. He wondered if Gi would make it, and felt guilty for assuming the worst. He tightened his grip on the controls.

Someone was going to pay for this.

x

"So where are we going?" Wheeler asked, leaning his head against the back wall of Plunder's helicopter. He and Linka were huddled together at the back. Wheeler had been ordered to handcuff Linka to a handle set into the wall and then step back, but Wheeler had simply looped the handcuffs through – one attached to Linka's wrist, the other to his. Plunder hadn't been too pleased with this, but they'd suffered no ill effects so far – other than his company.

Plunder sat opposite them, leaning against his cane, his palms crossed over the ivory elephant's head and his chin resting upon them so he could stare down at the Planeteers. "I have a few questions for you, first," he said after a moment. "How did you get away from Baryshnikov?"

"I seduced her," Wheeler said darkly. "Where are we going?"

"Stop giving me bullshit," Plunder snapped.

Wheeler shrank back a little as Plunder waved his cane at him. He felt no desire to have it connect with another of his bones.

"See, it's interesting," Plunder said slowly. "Not only did you escape her, but her payment escaped my bank accounts. And your ring escaped my pocket. So I'm beginning to think Baryshnikov was a saviour of some kind, and she was only there to rescue you."

"You have to be kidding," Wheeler said, refusing to look in Linka's direction. "She just outsmarted you, Plunder." He settled himself carefully, arranging himself so Linka was still partially hidden between him and the wall. "And I outsmarted her."

Plunder scoffed. "No matter," he said quietly. "Things are still going my way."

"I'd applaud you, but I'm a bit tied up at the moment," Wheeler shot back, jingling the handcuffs that held his hand against the wall.

Plunder ignored him, and got to his feet. "Yes," he sighed loudly. "One Planeteer about to be traded away – one already dead." He glanced down at Wheeler. "Soon to be two."

Wheeler fumed, and it was only because Linka looped her free arm around his waist he calmed down.

Plunder sauntered away to join Bleak at the controls, and Linka turned to Wheeler, her face tear-streaked.

"Do you really think Gi is dead?" she asked. Her voice sounded strained and far away.

"No," Wheeler whispered fiercely. "They got her to a hospital, babe. She'll be fine. Don't let Plunder get to you."

"You should not have come with me," she whispered. "He does not want to hurt me because he needs to hand me over to Blight – but you... He will not hesitate..." Her voice cracked and another tear ran down her cheek.

"Hey, babe," he whispered. "It's okay, don't cry. We'll be all right. The others will work something out. It's gonna be okay."

Wanting distraction, he looked up to their linked hands and ran his thumb along her index finger.

"Hey," he whispered, nuzzling her ear gently. "Remember my last day at _Planet Traffic_? We went out to dinner to celebrate."

She nodded, her tears drying. She could remember the freezing rain pouring down in torrents, and the traffic in New York was chaos. She and Wheeler were looking forward to their return to Hope Island after five long years away, and had spent the evening with wine and rich food, flirting and conversing across a table in low candlelight.

"Remember the walk home?" Wheeler asked softly, twining his fingers into hers.

"We bought the evening papers to use as umbrellas against the rain," she said dreamily, her head on his shoulder. "We were soaked through by the time we got home."

He grinned, and used his free hand to circle her free wrist gently, bringing it to his mouth and kissing the thin, delicate skin there. "Remember what happened when we got home?" He tugged on the handcuffs slightly, jolting her wrist just enough to make her feel it, and she smiled and buried her face in his jacket.

_She was pulling at his clothes, addicted to the naked skin beneath and wanting to feel it against her own. They were near the bed now, and he had successfully peeled the zip of her dress down, slipping his hands in against the warm skin of her back._

"_We should get you out of this wet dress," he whispered. "You'll catch your death." He tugged it down and it pooled at her feet, damp and heavy thanks to the rain that still streamed against the windows, distorting the city lights that twinkled outside. She could feel the cool air of the bedroom on her skin._

"_If you were a gentleman, you would pick that up and hang it over the tub so it could dry," she whispered jokingly, her arms around his neck and her lips on his jaw._

"_You telling me I'm not a gentleman?" he growled, falling forwards and landing on the bed with her sprawled beneath him._

_She laughed, and he covered her face and her neck with rough kisses, pulling her wrists above her head to pin them against the mattress and stretch her body out under his. "Prove me wrong, Yankee," she breathed, curling her legs tightly around his waist._

"_Maybe I don't feel like it," he said, nipping her earlobe gently. "A gentleman certainly wouldn't be considering _half _of the things going through my head right now."_

_It took her a moment to notice his hands had left hers and were busy unclipping her bra – but her hands were still trapped up above her head. Craning her head, she could see the dark material of his tie, roped securely around her wrists and the headboard, holding her hands trapped._

"_Bozhe moy, Wheeler," she gasped._

"_Tell me to stop, I will," he breathed, dragging his nose lightly down the side of her neck, pressing kisses at the base of her throat and down to the swells of her breasts. "Tell me to let you go and I'll undo it..." His voice got lost in her skin as he moved his way further down her body, down the pale skin of her stomach._

She blinked her eyes open again, the memory hitting her with full force and making her pleasurably dizzy. Reality, however, dampened everything back into harsh clarity.

"Remember?" Wheeler whispered, his lips against her forehead.

She smiled. "Do you honestly think I would forget _that_?" she asked.

He chuckled. "Too bad Plunder and Bleak are here, really."

She rolled her eyes and curled into him. "This has all been a disaster," she said, feeling frightened again now that the glow of the memory had worn away. "We should never have come here."

"We're gonna be okay," he said. His voice lacked the conviction he wished he could feel.

Truth be told, he was scared as hell.

x

Ma-Ti sighed heavily as he saw the police officers striding up the corridor towards him. _Here we go,_ he thought wearily.

"Are you Ma-Ti?"

He nodded. "Yes. I brought in the gunshot victim a little while ago."

"We need to talk to you about why your friend was shot. You need to come with us."

He nodded and rubbed his hands wearily over his face. "I know. But look – I cannot leave her, yet. I need to stay until she wakes up."

"This is not exactly negotiable," the second officer said in a hard voice.

Ma-Ti fished around in his pocket and brought out a small, glossy plastic card. "Run this through your systems, okay? It will answer a lot of your questions and save us all a lot of time."

The first officer – the one Ma-Ti, for some reason, felt a little more trusting towards – took the card in his hands and nodded. He muttered something in Russian to his colleague and walked away to radio in the card details.

Ma-Ti wasn't exactly sure if the card could save him, right now. Gaia had handed one to each Planeteer with a warning that it was important and not to lose it.

Linka had run a check on her own card through one of the systems in the geo-cruiser, and they had been awed and privately delighted to find that the information labelled them as secret, international government operatives. High-ranking and top-secret, bound by very little law or jurisdiction. The United Nations were supposed to have founded the Planeteers, but Ma-Ti wasn't sure if this was true or if Gaia had simply stated this for ease.

Not ever having been in the situation he was in now, Ma-Ti wasn't sure what he was going to do if the Russian police didn't believe the card.

It turned out he didn't need to worry. The police officer handed his card back to him and muttered something to his companion.

"We will need to run further checks on that information," he said, nodding to the card as Ma-Ti tucked it back into his pocket.

Ma-Ti nodded. "I understand."

"We will need to find you again, so you are not to leave the city limits without notifying us."

Ma-Ti shook his head. "I won't. I'll be here with my friend until she is well enough to leave."

"And we wish to speak to the other gentleman you had with you."

"I can get in touch with him for you – but he has a card like mine, if you are wondering. It may be some time before I can get hold of him. He has gone after the man who shot our friend."

The officer nodded. "That is why we are here. Do you have time to talk now?"

Ma-Ti nodded wearily, and the officers sat down opposite him as he ran over every item of information he could. He explained Plunder to them, and what they thought he was up to. He told them about the cellar Wheeler had been kept in, and his doubts as to whether or not others had passed through there previously.

"And now he has two other Planeteers with him," Ma-Ti said, his voice low and tired. "Kwame has gone after him. All we know is they are headed west."

"He will not get far," the first officer said. "We will send somebody to check the cellars your friend was held in."

The second officer was having trouble believing Ma-Ti, and he was too tired to probe into any trust or warmth with the powers of his ring. He was very tired, suddenly, and his grief and worry had caught up to him. He wanted to find a doctor and enquire about Gi.

"Can we leave it here, now?" he asked desperately. "I wish to go and find my friend Gi."

"We will be back in the morning," the officer nodded, flipping through his notes. "We will have an alert out for this man Plunder."

They walked away, and Ma-Ti could hear the second officer arguing vehemently in Russian, gesturing wildly. He was too exhausted to try and convince him any further. He hoped the first officer – the one who had done all the talking – was enough to ensure the authorities would be after Plunder now.

"Hello?"

He looked up at the voice. The doctor.

"Your friend," the doctor said. "You can see her."

"Is she all right?" Ma-Ti asked anxiously, hurrying after her.

"She lost a lot of blood," she answered, her voice severe. "Of course we are doing what we can. Your friend is young and strong. There is a very good chance she will recover." She waved him into the room. "You cannot stay long. She will not wake for some time. You can come back and see her tomorrow when she is awake."

Ma-Ti hurried past and leaned anxiously over Gi. Her face was pale – blue shadows under her eyes. The pillows and the blankets and the bandages were all crisp and white and clean, and Ma-Ti breathed a sigh of relief at the lack of blood seeping out everywhere.

He sank into a chair beside the bed, exhausted.

x

Kwame glanced nervously towards his makeshift auto-pilot arrangements. The auto-pilot system appeared to be down, so he had settled for simply roping the controls into the right position, using a length of rope from one of the camping kits and looping it around his seat. He'd had to creep to the back to try and repair the shattered window. It was creating too much drag and burning up precious energy he couldn't afford the geo-cruiser to lose.

He'd managed to secure a sheet of plastic across the window. It wasn't perfect, but it improved the situation enough to satisfy him for now. The other repairs would have to wait until he was forced to land – and he was sure that moment wasn't far away.

_Kwame?_

He jumped, and realised it was Ma-Ti trying to contact him.

_How is Gi?_ he asked immediately, sitting back in the pilot's seat and taking the controls into his hands again.

_Out of surgery. She is not awake yet. The doctors say she has lost a lot of blood, but she is young and strong. They expect her to recover._

Kwame breathed a sigh of relief, a huge weight suddenly lifting itself from his shoulders. _That is wonderful news._

_I am going to stay with her. How are you going? Have you caught sight of Plunder yet?_

_He is not far ahead. I managed to catch up thanks to the emergency fuel reserve, but I am down to fumes now, and relying on the little solar energy I have left. Are Wheeler and Linka all right?_

_I think so. I can hear Wheeler and Linka quite well. I think because they are together. I have not tried to contact them properly, yet. I have been waiting for Gi – and dealing with the police._

_Any problems?_

_Surprisingly few. There are searches being put out for Plunder. I am going to try and contact Wheeler and Linka, soon. The more information we have, the sooner we can find them._

_Good. Hurry, Ma-Ti. I am not sure I can keep up with them in the geo-cruiser. There is too much damage._

x

"You know what?" Wheeler whispered, nudging Linka gently.

"What?" she asked tiredly. With his arm around her, she was beginning to feel secure and sleepy – something she probably couldn't afford. She made the effort to rouse herself.

"We're so stupid," Wheeler said, chuckling slightly. "We haven't even tried to find Ma-Ti. And two voices are louder than one."

They bent their heads together and closed their eyes, focusing their thoughts on the Heart Planeteer.

They got a reply almost immediately. _I was wondering when the two of you would remember me._

Wheeler grinned, and spoke for both himself and Linka. _Sorry, Ma-Ti. We're glad to hear from you now, though. How's Gi?_

_Still sleeping. The doctors say she is going to recover, but it will take time._

Linka couldn't help it. She buried her face in Wheeler's sleeve, sobbing quietly with relief.

_It is hard to focus on you,_ Ma-Ti said. _Does Plunder have your rings?_

_Yeah. No idea where we're headed, either. Linka thinks he's going to find Blight. We think maybe Doctor Demented wants to get revenge for Linka destroying MAL._

_Maybe,_ Ma-Ti answered slowly. _You are headed west. That is about as much as I can tell you. Kwame is following you in the geo-cruiser, but it is slow going. She is heavily damaged thanks to Bleak shooting out the solar panels._

_Is Kwame okay?_ Linka asked anxiously.

_I think so. Just worried. Listen, I will get in touch with you later. The doctor is coming and I want to ask a few more questions about Gi. Be careful, and call if you need anything._

They both felt very alone when Ma-Ti's presence faded away from them.

"You okay?" Wheeler asked Linka, not liking the nervousness and anxiety that had returned to his stomach once Ma-Ti had left them.

"_Nyet_, not really," she admitted quietly. "I am glad Gi is okay, but you and I are not exactly free to celebrate everything just yet."

"Yeah, I know what you mean." He kissed her temple. "Let's distract ourselves."

"_Bozhe moy_," she muttered. "Are you thinking of more _games_?" she asked, rattling the handcuff chain that linked them.

He chuckled. "Well I'm up for it if you are."

"Are you ever going to grow up, Yankee?" she asked quietly, raising her eyebrow at him.

"Hope not," he answered, grinning boyishly at her. "And I thought you'd know that by now."

"_Da,_ I suppose I do," she sighed. "I think I can love you in spite of it."

He curled his free arm around her, pulling her closer. "Remember my 18th birthday?" he asked suddenly.

She blinked, surprised, and then thought back. "I think so," she said. "Why?"

"No reason, really. I just think of it when I'm trying to remember things to cheer myself up. It was my first birthday away from home, and it was the best birthday I'd ever had. I spent most of the day trying to get you to kiss me."

"I remember," she said, smiling. "Did I give in?"

"You gave me a kiss on the cheek," he said, sounding smug. "I considered it a win."

"Gi and I baked you a cake," she said slowly, smiling at the memory. "Chocolate."

He grinned. "Yeah, I remember. Bit burnt around the edges, wasn't it?"

She buried her face in his jacket, resisting the sudden urge to giggle. "_Da._ We got distracted talking about you."

"Oh yeah?"

She nodded. "It was the first time I admitted to her that you were _so handsome_," she breathed, fluttering her eyelashes.

He snorted and suddenly she giggled, and they both started to laugh.

"Glad they find the situation so amusing," Bleak muttered, glaring out into the darkness in front of the helicopter.

"Why don't you go back there and give them something to cry about, if it's bothering you?" Plunder asked, striking a match to light his cigar. He was in a fantastic mood, despite still feeling sore about the matter with Baryshnikov. As far as he was concerned, he was still up on the world. He was sure Bleak's bullet had killed the Water Planeteer, and he was planning on dropping the Fire Planeteer out of the helicopter and into the middle of the ocean at the first chance he got. After that, he could hand the blonde over to Robert Welling and dust his hands of the whole matter.

Human trading, he had decided, had cost him more than it was worth. Having to do business with people like Baryshnikov had suddenly put him off the idea. Being outsmarted stung badly, and he wanted to forget the situation altogether. He decided he needed to get back to basics – bulldozing a rainforest or destroying a nature reserve seemed like a good idea – and a way to blow off his pent-up rage and energy.

Another giggle from the back of the helicopter prompted Bleak into action. "That's it," he muttered, unbuckling his seatbelt. "I know you want him in the ocean, boss, but I figure a fall from this height will kill him either way."

Plunder shrugged and dragged on his cigar. Really, it made very little difference to him.

Bleak made his way back to Wheeler and Linka. "Time for you and the merchandise to separate," he sneered, holding his gun out.

"I'm quite comfortable here, thanks," Wheeler answered.

Bleak tossed the handcuff keys at him. "Take the cuffs off your wrist and link them to the handle, Pyro. Keep her locked there."

"Nah, I'm okay with things the way they are," Wheeler said, lifting his chin defiantly.

Bleak cocked his pistol. "I'm not gonna shoot _you_, punk," he whispered. "So go ahead and be a smartass. The first bullet will go through your girlfriend's ankle."

Linka flinched and Wheeler glared up at Plunder's henchman. "That'll lower your profit margin a bit, won't it?" he asked. His voice shook slightly.

"Not makin' any profit from 'er," Bleak muttered. "Just handin' her over, and I don't give a fuck whether it's in one piece or not."

Wheeler clenched his jaw, his mind running wild and trying to find a way out of this.

"I'm not gonna ask again," Bleak said softly, tilting the gun. His eyes glinted and Linka's blood turned to ice water. She wanted to faint at the sight of the sick happiness Bleak was unsuccessfully trying to hide.

Wheeler lifted the key to the lock in the cuffs, and Linka sobbed, despite her best efforts not to.

"_Nyet,_ Wheeler, please," she said. "Stay with me here..."

"It'll be okay, baby," he whispered calmly. "Everything will be okay."

She shook her head and gripped his shirt in her free hand, wrapping the fabric around her fist. "Stop," she pleaded. "Stop..."

The cuff around Wheeler's wrist opened, and he squeezed it shut around the bar set into the wall, ensuring Linka was held firm.

"You would not let me come alone," she said hysterically, tears streaming down her face. "Do not leave me now, please..."

"Hey, it'll be okay," he soothed gently, taking her face in his hands. "We're in a helicopter, babe." He grinned at her. "I can't go far."

She hiccupped and clutched him tightly, staring at him with panicked eyes. "_Ya tebya lyublyu,_" she whispered. "_Ne __pukeedat__ mne..._"

"I love you too," he whispered back, understanding the first half of her sentence perfectly.

"Enough of this shit," Bleak snapped, hauling Wheeler up by his collar and jamming the gun between his shoulder blades. "Move it."

"_Nyet, ne __pukeeda__t mne_," Linka sobbed, clutching Wheeler's leg.

He glanced down at her worriedly, not sure what she was saying, but Bleak shoved him forward.

"Want me to ride shotgun with you?" Wheeler asked, wincing as Bleak's haste forced him to put his full weight on his sore knee.

"Shut up, smartass," Bleak muttered. "Time for you to leave."

Wheeler felt a sudden flare of fear rise up in his stomach and along his spine. "Oh yeah?" he asked. His voice sounded weak and shaky.

Linka shrieked as Bleak threw the side door open. The roar of wind and the rotors drowned out further noise.

"Shit," Wheeler gasped. His panicked eyes ran over Plunder, looking back over his shoulder with a cigar in his teeth and a look of smug satisfaction on his face. He saw the empty seats, Plunder's jacket draped across one and fluttering madly against the trauma of the atmosphere roaring into the helicopter. He saw Bleak raise his hand and he felt it slam against his chest, knocking him backwards, but his eyes were locked on Linka. She stared back at him helplessly, terror written across her pretty face, and even as he fell, and the throb of the rotors and the roar of the wind around him were in his ears, he heard her scream.

x

Miles away, Ma-Ti clutched his heart and went white, his breath leaving his lungs in a long, drawn out scream of pain and terror.

**XX**


	22. Chapter 22

**Thanks to all who reviewed the last chapter! I don't want to keep you hanging for too long - especially when Becks7 begs me to update again ;) **

**x  
**

Wheeler fell through the dark, no breath in his lungs to scream. Linka's final cry was ringing in his ears and as the cold air streamed past him, his numb mind uttered a single thought: _This is how I'm gonna die._

He landed hard. Hard enough to knock any remaining breath out of his body and cause him to cough with shock and pain – but not hard enough to shatter any bones. The stars still streamed above him, and he felt himself sliding, as though gravity didn't think he'd fallen far enough yet.

"What the hell?" He gasped and rolled over, hearing his limbs thumping on metal.

The geo-cruiser.

Kwame grinned at him through the windows. "Caught you," he said triumphantly.

x

"I'll never rag on you for dropping a point in volleyball again," Wheeler said, squeezing Kwame in a hug that crushed the breath out of the African man. "That catch makes up for all of them."

Kwame laughed, and patted Wheeler on the back. "I cannot take all the credit. You fell in a very straight line."

Wheeler laughed tiredly and sank into a nearby seat. "I'll have to remember to thank Bleak when we meet again." He clutched his hair with trembling hands, feeling sick at the thought of how close he'd come to death. He turned to other thoughts for distraction, but they weren't exactly comforting.

"Do you know where they're heading?" he asked, glancing up to the lights that indicated Plunder's helicopter above them.

"No," Kwame said. "Do they know I am following you?"

"Don't think so. They haven't said anything, but I don't think they expect you to be around. Plunder is convinced Gi is dead..."

"One of the many things he is wrong about," Kwame said angrily, clenching his hands around the controls.

"Oh, man, look at this," Wheeler murmured, moving to the seat beside him. Warning lights flashed across the control panel. "We're gonna have to land soon..."

Kwame nodded quietly. "I know."

Wheeler glanced up to the helicopter. "They've got Linka handcuffed at the back. We've gotta get her out of there."

"That is going to prove difficult," Kwame said. "We are losing altitude and it is hard to keep the geo-cruiser on a straight course."

"Shit," Wheeler muttered. "You can't use the emergency fuel?"

"I used it trying to catch up to you."

Wheeler looked desperately up at the lights above them again. "We're gonna lose sight of her..."

Kwame rubbed his forehead. "Ma-Ti will stay with her," he said. He sounded anxious. "We will land and try to repair the damage. Hopefully we can fix the worst of it and be back on Plunder's trail first thing in the morning."

Wheeler rested his head in his hands. "They're gonna get her to Blight before we catch up again," he moaned.

The geo-cruiser shuddered and Kwame gripped the controls. "It is no good," he said. "We have to land. I am sorry, Wheeler. I have tried to keep her in the air, but the geo-cruiser is too damaged to keep up this pace and this altitude any longer."

Wheeler looked despairingly up at the helicopter above them. "Okay," he answered heavily. He buckled his seatbelt as the geo-cruiser began its descent. _Don't give up on me yet, babe. I'm coming back for you._

x

Ma-Ti was awake, but he had no desire to speak to the muttering doctors and nurses still gathered around his bedside. He waited until the voices had faded away before he blinked his eyes open. The room was dark. They had merely bundled him into the bed beside Gi, who was still breathing quietly and rhythmically.

He groaned and sat up, holding his head and trying to sort through the fog that was clouding his mind. His head still throbbed and he felt breathless. He had never felt such pain before, and he knew it was linked to Linka somehow. He could still feel her there, hovering on the periphery of his mind, but when he tried to contact her he found that he couldn't.

It wasn't just that she wasn't wearing her Planeteer ring – it was something different. Something darker. There was such intense grief surrounding her it took his breath away – and hate bubbled below the surface, too. It was a serious, heavy black sheet that fell across her, blocking her thoughts and locking him out. Something terrible had happened. He needed to find out what had caused her to fall into such a state. It frightened him. She usually appeared to him as an aura of blonde hair and blue mist, cool and delicate. Usually, when he contacted her, he could smell sea breezes and cold air. Smoke, too, if she and Wheeler were feeling particularly close at the moment Ma-Ti decided to talk to her. He could smell it now, but it wasn't pleasant. He was bitter and heavy, and concentrated.

He opened his eyes again and got shakily to his feet to check on Gi. She slept soundly beside him, unaware of anything.

_Linka_...? He tried again, but it was no good. He felt anxious. She was appearing to him like a mild version of the villains he had often encountered. Mild – but the hatred was there, deep and dark, and it hid her from him.

_Wheeler, what has happened?_ He searched for the Fire Planeteer, relieved when the vague orange light of Wheeler, hot and active, reached him. Wheeler felt far away, but he was still within reach.

_Ma-Ti – I'm glad to hear from you, man._

Ma-Ti breathed a sigh as Wheeler's relief washed over him and soothed him. _Where are you? What has happened to Linka?_

_Why – is she okay? Have they hurt her? What's going on?_

_I cannot reach her anymore. Something has changed. Are you not with her?_

_No. _

Ma-Ti felt a jolt of anxiousness, and sickness – nervousness gripping him hard. He breathed slowly and tried to send out calming thoughts to Wheeler.

_Bleak pushed me out of the helicopter. And somehow I'm the luckiest guy in the universe, because I landed right on top of the geo-cruiser, which was not far below. Tell Linka I'm alive. Tell her I love her._

Ma-Ti winced. Wheeler had vocalised the last thought no louder than the others, but the feeling behind it magnified it and it hit him hard. He felt weak and shaky.

_I cannot reach her, Wheeler. Her grief is so deep, and she has such hatred for Bleak and Plunder I cannot break through it just yet. I will keep trying._

He felt Wheeler's worry. _Okay. Thanks, man. Hey, how's _danbi _– Gi? How's Gi?_

_Still sleeping._

Ma-Ti was overwhelmed. Linka's grief was draining him even without him forcing a connection – and now he could feel Kwame's nervousness as the geo-cruiser prepared to land.

_Wheeler, I have to go. I feel weak. I will keep trying to contact Linka and I will be in touch with you again soon, I promise._

_Sure. Give Gi our love._

_I will._

The Heart Planeteer curled up on the bed again, laying his head down on the pillow and closing his eyes. He failed to stay conscious.

x

Linka had finally quietened. She was just numb, now. There were no real thoughts in her mind – just a dull ache that throbbed in her head and in her heart. Blood still oozed down her arm, the skin of her wrist torn and bleeding from the rough edges of the handcuffs that held her to the wall.

Her face was tear-streaked and pale, and she was curled into a ball, hugging her knees with her free arm, rocking herself slightly, the occasional sob still causing her breath to tear loudly through the quiet environment of the aircraft.

"Almost there," Plunder said, stretching. "What a glorious day it's been." He grinned lazily. "I'll remember this day for a very long time, Bleak. Remind me to put some Champagne on ice after we trade in the little bitch back there."

"Will do, boss," Bleak muttered. He still felt it too early for celebrations, but the thrilling glow of murder was yet to abandon him. He grinned to himself. As far as he was concerned, it was _he_ who was personally responsible for the death of two Planeteers. Plunder had little to do with it. But Bleak had never held a grudge against his boss – the benefits outweighed the minor irks that Plunder's ego caused now and then.

"He on his way to meet us?" Bleak asked. "I don't want to be hangin' around waiting to trade her over."

"Yes, thank you, Bleak," Plunder said icily, indicating that Bleak's bossy tone wasn't appreciated. "Welling will meet us at the agreed meeting point. He'll hand over the papers and we hand over the girl."

"Why don't we just shoot 'im?" Bleak asked irritably. "Be a lot simpler."

"Shoot the head of a high-profile investigation company?" Plunder asked mildly. "Even for you, Bleak, that's a stupid idea. Besides – I can destroy the evidence he has against me, but little Windy Winderson back there is going to last a lot longer than any papers. Give me a couple of months and I'll work out a way to use this latest 'acquisition' against dear Mr. Welling."

Bleak chuckled. "Bleedin' fantastic," he sighed, and he settled himself comfortably in his seat.

At the back, Linka had heard nothing. She shifted her head miserably, her eyes avoiding the door Wheeler had been thrown out of. She felt a surge of furious hatred as her gaze landed upon Plunder's jacket. The earlier turbulence and change in air pressure had caused it to fall from the back of the seat to the floor.

Without even really thinking about it, she stretched for it, hooking the toe of her sneaker under the collar and dragging it back towards her. She rummaged through the pockets until she found them.

The Planeteer rings. Wind and Fire.

Tossing the jacket aside again, she let her gaze burn into the back of Plunder's head as she slipped her ring on. _Go to hell, you piece of shit,_ she thought venomously. She raised her fist, but she knew it was futile. She whispered the word with as much passion as she could muster, but nothing happened.

Her ring was dead.

x

"Wish I had my ring," Wheeler muttered, glaring at the blow-torch in his hand.

The only light was a dull grey light at the horizon, and Wheeler and Kwame were damp and cold as they tried to repair the worst of the damage in the early-morning misty rain.

"Still no auto-pilot system," Kwame said, emerging from under the front control panel. "I cannot repair it until we get home. Bleak's bullets tore through a lot of wiring. But the new solar cells will keep us in the air. Hopefully Ma-Ti will be able to give us directions and we can follow Linka as soon as the sun is up."

Wheeler nodded. He felt sick, and exhausted, but the pressure to keep going weighed heavily on his shoulders. He glanced to the horizon, wishing the sun would hurry up and rise so the new cells could charge.

"What do you think Blight is gonna do?" Wheeler asked.

Kwame hesitated. "Are you sure it is Blight who is after her?"

Wheeler blinked. "Doesn't that make the most sense? Who else could it be?"

Kwame shrugged. "Maybe someone Linka met in London, or New York."

"But they'd still have to know Plunder, if that was the case," Wheeler argued. "It's Blight. She's the only one who has a reason to get revenge against Linka, and she's the only one who knows both Linka _and_ Plunder."

"I suppose," Kwame agreed. He glanced to the horizon. "The sun will be up soon. We have time to make some coffee, and then we will fly out again."

"Okay," Wheeler sighed. He adjusted his wedding ring carefully. _Still coming, babe. Hang on just a little bit longer._

x

Linka wasn't entirely sure what was going on. Periods of time seemed to skip and vanish past her and she had no idea what had happened during those hours. She realised, suddenly, that morning was near. She realised that the helicopter had landed and the grey dawn was silent.

"Up you get." Bleak hauled her up roughly, and she went limp, knowing he must have freed her wrist at some point, knowing that he had probably spoken to her, knowing that Blight was about to appear through the rain...

She didn't care. She lolled uselessly across Bleak's shoulder as he carried her out of the corner she had huddled into for the past couple of hours. The quiet wind and rain outside the helicopter was like a roar in her ears, suffocating other noises.

"No Baryshnikov to rescue _you_," Bleak said, grinning down at her after he'd dumped her into the wet grass.

Linka curled her arms around her knees and rested her forehead against them, rocking herself slowly.

There would be no worse pain than what she had already felt.

x

Robert looked nervously towards Linka's huddled form.

"She's fine," Plunder said carelessly, following his gaze. "As fine as she can be, in the circumstances."

Robert lifted his chin and nodded, trying to display a bravery he couldn't feel. He felt sick, and guilty. Trapped. A moment's desperation had led him to this point, and it was far too late to back out now.

"Here," he said, thrusting a folder of documents into Plunder's waiting hands. "They're all there."

"They had better be," Plunder warned. "I don't need to remind you, Welling, that I'm rather exceptional when it comes to avoiding the law's punishments. _You_, on the other hand, can't afford to be dobbed in as a human trader. Try and fuck me around and I'll retaliate."

Welling glared at Plunder. "It's all there. And this is the last time we ever need speak to one another. Just leave. Let me take Linka home."

Plunder snorted. "You're only half a man. You have potential for great things, though, I'll give you that. I'd never have picked you as such a –"

"I said fuck off!" Robert snapped.

Plunder smirked and spun on his heel. "Bleak!" He ordered his sidekick over with a click of his fingers. Bleak pushed Linka into the ground with the sole of his boot, but her reaction to him was minimal. He spat at her and wandered back to the helicopter with Plunder.

Robert knelt by the Wind Planeteer as the rotors powered up again, flattening the grass and splitting the rain.

"Linka?"

She shifted miserably, but her eyes were dull and unfocused. "_Pushol von_," she whispered.

"C'mon Linka, I can speak French and Japanese, but I can't do Russian," Robert said, pulling her up.

She swayed on her feet and blinked at him. "Robert?"

"Uh-huh." He smiled at her. "Pleased to see me?"

She sobbed and threw her arms around him. He hugged her back gingerly, his heart beating rapidly. She was sobbing and trying to talk into his shoulder, but he couldn't understand most of it.

"Come on, sweetheart," he said gently. "Let's go home."

She was still breathlessly trying to talk to him as he steered her towards the car. "We need to call the police," she croaked. "And Blight is sure to be here somewhere and I think she wants to hurt me. I need to go back and find Wheeler..." She broke down again, crying hysterically, and he picked her up and carried her the last few yards to his car, placing her gently in the front seat and buckling her in. He smoothed her hair and shut the door.

Out of the rain, with the car warm and quiet and comfortable around her, and Robert's gentle and familiar voice in her ear, Linka finally felt a little safer.

**XX**


	23. Chapter 23

**Big, big thanks of those to you leaving reviews! Especially those who have just joined me! :) Glad to have you aboard, and I really appreciate your comments. They're what encourage me to keep writing!**

**There's swearing in this one, but you should all expect that now, right? ;)  
**

**x  
**

"If I had the strength I'd use water torture on you," Gi murmured, shifting her head slightly on her pillow.

Ma-Ti smiled down at her. "I find that hard to believe."

She smiled back at him tiredly. "Please tell me what's going on. It's bad, isn't it?"

"It's not that good," Ma-Ti answered hesitantly.

Gi had only awoken five minutes ago, and she desperately wanted to know what was going on. Anxious to avoid upsetting her in such a weakened state, Ma-Ti was trying to avoid her questioning.

"The others aren't here, are they?" she asked.

"How much do you remember?" He sat on the side of her bed and took her hand.

"Not much," she admitted, her voice a whisper. "Bleak shooting at the geo-cruiser. Linka was crying..."

Ma-Ti's head throbbed at the mention of Linka's name. She was still hovering at the edge of his mind, a hot black cloud of confusion and grief and anger. She had blocked him out somehow – not responding at all to the attempts he'd made to contact her. He wasn't even sure if she was aware she'd done it. He wasn't strong enough to push past the borders she'd put up.

"Linka and Wheeler separated from us, so we could get you to the hospital," Ma-Ti finally admitted. "Kwame has gone after them. He has found Wheeler, but Plunder still has Linka."

The information settled over Gi like a suffocating fog. Ma-Ti stroked her hand and her hair, sending out soft waves of calming reassurance until she breathed deeply again.

He watched her for a moment as she fought to stay awake. "You should try and rest," he said gently.

"Please go after them," Gi said, and her voice cracked. "Please go and help them..."

He shook his head and smiled. "Someone has to stay here with you, Gi."

"No, I'll be okay," she argued. "Seriously, it doesn't even hurt that much." Her eyes widened a little as she tried to convince him, but her face was still pale.

"The police want me to stay here for a while," Ma-Ti said. "They're going to have some questions for you, too."

"Great," she muttered. "Well – are they okay? Are the others okay, at least?"

"I can't reach Linka," he said. "Kwame and Wheeler are worried, and tired, but I don't think they're hurt."

"Are they close?" Gi asked desperately. "Are they going to find her?"

Ma-Ti sighed and put his ring close to his temple. "I will find out where they are."

x

_Are we getting close, Ma-Ti?_ Wheeler's voice was desperate and tired. Ma-Ti felt weighed down by the Fire Planeteer's exhaustion.

_You are moving closer to her, yes._

_I think I know where she is,_ Kwame said, speaking up for the first time.

Ma-Ti felt a leap of excitement from Wheeler, and then anxiety.

_How? Where is she?_

_She is in London._

Ma-Ti probed quickly into Kwame's theory, and it made sense. And when he thought of London, he hit a weak link in the armour Linka had put up. There was a musty, confused light of relief surrounding her, though it was hard to grab hold of, and it slipped through his fingers and the wall went up again, her grief surrounding her and protecting her from any outside forces – good or bad.

_You're right, Kwame,_ he said, surprised and excited. _She is in London! And she is not so afraid anymore..._

_Is she okay?_ Wheeler asked.

_She is locking me out, Wheeler. But it is not her fault. She is grieving for you._

_Oh, man._ Wheeler felt sick. He leaned his head against the cool glass of the window, and Kwame sent him a worried glance.

_Ma-Ti, can you try to narrow our search field a little?_ Kwame asked. _London still leaves us with a lot of area to search._

_All I can do is suggest you find a man named Robert. That is the only thing I can get from Linka at this stage._

"Robert!" Wheeler blurted, sitting up. "Yeah, he was Linka's old boss. I think I can track him down. He's the President of _Earth and Air_."

"We have no on-board computer system," Kwame reminded him.

"S'okay," Wheeler said. "Have you got your cell phone? Plunder took mine."

Kwame handed it to him wordlessly and Wheeler punched in a number, daring to feel hopeful.

x

"Where are we going?" Linka asked eventually, her senses slowly dragging themselves through layers of grief and fear.

"It's okay," Robert comforted, reaching across and taking her hand. "Don't worry."

She rested her head against the window again. So long as he hid her from Blight, she didn't care where he was taking her.

She recognised his house when he paused briefly at the gates, which scrolled open smoothly to let them in. She had been there several times before – usually with Caitlin, and bottles of wine, for games of Scrabble or Monopoly. The three of them had shared many late evenings when Linka was new to London.

She smiled faintly at the memory, and for a moment Ma-Ti occurred as a soft thought in her mind, but she slammed everything shut against him, locking him out. It was too painful to think of anything that would remind her of Wheeler.

A tear rolled slowly down her cheek, and Robert brushed it away with his thumb when he stopped the car.

"Don't cry," he said softly. "It'll be okay."

She sobbed, and he helped her out of the car and into the cool security of the front foyer of his house. He breathed a sigh of relief as the locks slid shut behind them.

"Did they hurt you?" he asked anxiously, taking her hands in his own and tugging at her gently so she faced him. One of her wrists was bloody and raw, and he brushed his fingertips over her skin gently.

She rested her head against his chest, her tears silent but rapid. He held her gingerly, not quite able to believe he had her there in his house with him. He ran his fingers through her hair.

_We'll let this grow long again,_ he thought distractedly. He breathed deeply, and beneath the rain and the mud and the musty smell of travel and weariness, he could smell her shampoo and the sweet scent of the soaps she used.

"Why don't you have a shower, sweetheart?" he asked softly, letting his fingers linger at the back of her neck. "You'll feel better."

She pulled away, leaving the comfort that his embrace had offered. "What are you talking about?" she asked, suddenly desperate and afraid. "Robert, we have to call the police."

"No, it's okay," he said softly. "You just don't understand yet. But you will. It'll take time, I know, but you'll be okay. I'll look after you."

She frowned, confused, and he saw the exact moment she understood. Her eyes widened and she paled even further, her face ghost-white in the dim light of the front foyer. She staggered back away from him, and her breath became loud and audible, tearing from her lungs in gulps that were hungry and frightened. Words seemed to fail her. She shook her head pleadingly, and she looked so terrified he reached for her again, aching to comfort her.

x

"There has to be a home address for him somewhere!" Wheeler snapped.

Phil's voice was weary but patient. "Nick, take it easy, okay?" he sighed. "It's past midnight, and I'm trying – but I'm telling you, I can't find anything. It's like this guy has no life outside of his company. I can get you his work details – office address, office number, fax number, email... But even all of that looks like it's been tampered with. This guy seriously doesn't want to be bothered outside of office hours."

"Is it just because you're accessing it from _Planet Traffic_?" Wheeler asked his old work-mate desperately. "Like they've put up protective barriers against rival companies?"

"Nah, don't think so. Their security is pretty average. I can get details on any of the other employees."

"Caitlin Brown," Wheeler blurted. "Try her. I'm not sure what department she's in."

"So what is this for, anyway?" Phil asked lazily, striking keys as he held the phone pinned between his ear and his shoulder.

"It's a long story." Wheeler pinched the bridge of his nose. "Are Caitlin's details there?"

"Yeah, you want 'em?"

Wheeler scribbled Caitlin's address and telephone number down on a notepad Kwame had wordlessly handed to him.

"Thanks Phil," he said gratefully.

"Any time," Phil said. "Come by for a beer next time you're in town."

"I will," Wheeler promised. He hung up and handed Kwame's phone back to him. "Let's go and find Caitlin," he said. "She might be able to help us out with directions and contacts. She's probably heard of Blight, too, and if the demented doctor has been nosing around London, Caitlin might know where to find her."

x

Caitlin looked irritable when she answered the door, and with good reason. It was a cold, wet, Sunday morning, and it wasn't yet eight o'clock.

"Seriously, if you guys are trying to sell me something I'm going to kill you," she warned, glaring at Wheeler and Kwame.

"No, Caitlin, we need your help," Wheeler begged. "I know I haven't met you before, but Linka's in trouble and we need you to help us find her."

Her eyes widened as she took the full sight of them in. Their clothes were rumpled and they looked exhausted and pale.

"You're Wheeler, right?" she asked. "You're Linka's fiancé."

He was in too big a rush to correct her from _fiancé_ to _husband_. "We need to track down Barbara Blight."

"Blight?" Caitlin held the door open wider and the men scurried in out of the rain. "Yeah, I know her. Don't think she's been around for a while, though. She's usually in trouble for messed-up experiments on animals." She ushered them into the living room. "What sort of trouble is Linka in?"

"She is missing," Kwame said. "It is a long story, but we need to find her fast."

"Well how can I help?" Caitlin asked anxiously.

"Has there been any indication of where Blight could be?" Kwame asked, silencing Wheeler's panicked groan with a calm glance. "Perhaps you have records of any properties she owns around here?"

"We'll have to go into the office," Caitlin said. "Let me get dressed and we'll go straight away." She looked back at them worriedly as she hurried towards her bedroom.

Wheeler scraped his palm over the stubble on his jaw. He wanted to collapse into a heap on Caitlin's sofa and sleep for hours and hours – but Linka was still out there somewhere, and he wasn't going to rest until he found her.

x

Linka stirred slowly, until she felt the gentle dabbing of a damp washcloth against her forehead.

"Linka?" Robert leaned over her with a concerned look on his face. "Are you all right? You fainted..."

"Get away from me!" She scrambled to the end of the couch, panic rising in her throat.

"Just listen to me for a moment," he said, reaching for her.

She slapped him hard across the face and leapt off the couch, racing for the door. She was scrabbling frantically at the locks when he caught her around the waist and pulled her backwards, gently, lifting her and carrying her up the stairs. She went limp, sobbing and rambling half-sentences about how crazy it all was, and how on Earth had all of this happened?

"I thought you were my friend," she moaned.

"I always wanted to be more than your friend, Linka," he said desperately. "You knew that."

"But you care so little about me you want to keep me a prisoner here?" she asked, her breath shallow and weak. She felt like she was about to faint again. "Robert, this will not work! You have to know how ridiculous this is. People will find out..."

He tried to make her stand on her own two feet, but both stubbornness and exhaustion kicked in and she sank to the floor.

"This will not work," she croaked, looking up at him. "You have to know that, Robert. You are an intelligent man – you _know_ this will not work!"

"I won't have to hide you forever," he said grimly, taking a key out of his pocket. "Just until you get used to me."

Linka slumped to the ground and rested her cheek against the carpet. "Until I get used to you?" she asked bitterly. "Like a new pair of shoes?"

"If that helps," he snapped. "Get up."

"Go to hell," she answered, closing her eyes. "If you think I am going to make anything about this easy for you, you have seriously underestimated me."

"It was always pretty easy to tell you what to do," he smirked. "You never fought orders. So desperate to make a good employee..."

She glared up at him from the floor. "I am not the same person now as I was back then."

"Well I'm all you have, so you'd better start appreciating me a little," he answered, dragging her roughly across the carpet and into the bedroom.

_I'm all you have_.

"Get some sleep." He left her there on the floor and locked the door behind him.

Tears ran down her face and soaked into the carpet, but she tried to keep her mind blank. It was hard, though. Panic welled up inside her, and anger and heartache.

_Wheeler is dead._

She turned her head to the side and gazed up at the window. She thought about using something to break the glass so she could escape, but her limbs were so heavy and tired, and everything was so hopeless.

_What do I have left to go back to, anyway?_

x

"Blight hasn't been around London, as far as I can tell," Caitlin said, her eyes scrolling across large blocks of text.

"You sure?" Wheeler asked weakly. "That's a pretty long rap sheet."

"Yeah, but everything stops like eight months ago," Caitlin answered. "See? It's like she disappeared after that."

"Blight has not been seen for eight months?" Kwame asked.

"Since Linka took MAL out," Wheeler sighed softly, pressing the heels of his hands over his eyes. "What about Plunder? Has he got property around here? Maybe he hasn't handed Linka over yet..."

"Oh, him," Caitlin said in disgust. "Yeah, I know Plunder. We were working on a job a while back and we had him cornered as the head organiser, but a bunch of evidence went missing and he slipped through the cracks."

"What sort of evidence?" Kwame asked.

"Documents linking him to a whole lot of stuff. Emails we dug out with details on child labour and illegal chemical dumping – that sort of thing. But we think Plunder made it back into the system and erased it all before it got out."

"Sounds like him," Wheeler muttered impatiently. "Is he around now, though?"

"Let me check."

Wheeler paced the small room as Caitlin hammered away on her keyboard.

"This is weird," she said, sounding annoyed.

"What is?" Wheeler asked tiredly.

"This stuff on Plunder is all password protected. Robert's put some sort of security measure across it. Probably because of what happened last time with the missing evidence. Maybe he thinks it was an inside job and he doesn't want anyone looking at the files."

"Can you get access to it?" Kwame asked. "If Plunder has a hiding place around here somewhere, he might still have Linka."

"Yeah, let me call Robert," Caitlin said, reaching for the phone.

Wheeler hung his head and gazed down at the floor. _Hey, Ma-Ti? You there, man?_

_I can hear you, Wheeler._

_Can you hear Linka?_

_She is weakening a little in her defence, but I can't quite get hold of her._

_Is she okay, at least?_ His heart leapt at the thought she was only just out of reach. _Tell her I'm alive._

_I have been trying. Have you found Robert?_

_No. It's like he's gone into witness protection or something. Can you help us out, Ma-Ti? Can you track him down for us?_

Ma-Ti sighed. His head still pounded and his vision swam whenever he opened his eyes. He could hear Gi warning him not to overdo it, but he blocked out her voice and sent a channel out – not for Linka, this time, but for her name.

Instantly he saw Caitlin's office. She was on the phone, listening impatiently to a call that wasn't being answered. Kwame was there, standing by the window. Wheeler was slumped on the couch, his head in his hands.

All three of them were thinking of Linka – but Wheeler's voice was the strongest.

Buoyed by the Fire Planeteer's strength, Ma-Ti grabbed hold of him and sent rippling waves out further.

Wheeler felt an instant dizziness as Ma-Ti channelled his powers through him. He could see everything Ma-Ti saw.

A silver car, and rain and grey morning, and a house with sliding gates. And now, Robert sat in his kitchen with his head in his hands, listening to a telephone ringing, and he was thinking of Linka too.

Wheeler leapt up suddenly, knocking the potted plant off Caitlin's desk and making her jump and drop the phone.

"What is it?" she asked, her face pale and her heart beating rapidly. "You scared the life out of me."

"Robert has her," Wheeler said, his eyes wide. "Robert fucking Welling has my wife."

**XX**


	24. Chapter 24

**I've rewritten this chapter a fair bit. You guys were all after Robert's blood! So I tweaked this a bit in order to comply a little. :p Let me know if you're happy. ;-)**

**And oh! I finally FINISHED this fic, and that means the next chapter is the final one. So, enjoy! Because things are all wrapping up soon!**

**Thanks for sticking with me! :)  
**

x

"Aren't you hungry?"

Linka glared at Robert.

"Breakfast is the most important meal of the day," he said, giving her a weak smile.

She turned her head away from him. She was on the floor beside the bed, an untouched tray of toast and juice beside her. She rested her chin on her knees and closed her eyes.

She had tried to open the window – but it was nailed shut on the outside. She had thrown the desk chair at the glass, but it had bounced back at her, not leaving a scratch. For a moment, she'd taken the Planeteer rings out of her pocket, intent on using them to break out.

She couldn't remember taking them, exactly. Plunder's jacket had fallen to the floor and she'd stolen the rings back with the intent on using them against him, but once Wheeler had been thrown out...

She had simply shuddered and pocketed the rings again, knowing they weren't going to work.

"Do you want to shower, then?" Robert asked, looking down at her. "I've got some of that shampoo you like."

Linka groaned and rocked back and forth slightly. "Robert, you have to let me go."

"I can't," he said softly, kneeling beside her. "You have to stay here with me now. It's not that bad, Linka. I'm not a horrible guy. You know I'm going to look after you, right?"

"How can you think this will work?" she asked in dismay, looking up at him. "Do you not see how ridiculous it is, Robert? Someone is going to find out." She chewed her lip, and for the next moment, her voice lacked conviction. "Someone will come and find me."

"That other guy wasn't right for you," Robert whispered. "I'm the right one for you."

"He _loved_ me," Linka whispered. "From the moment he saw me, he loved me. He never did anything unkind to me. He looked after me." She closed her eyes and buried her face again, hugging herself tightly. "If you had not gone along with this horrible plan, he would still be alive."

Robert paused. "They killed him?" He reached for her, but she kicked at him angrily, and he fell back.

"Linka," he whispered, "I'm sorry. I didn't want him to die. I didn't tell them to do that."

"What difference does it make to you?" she asked bitterly. "You were still going to hurt him by taking me away." She stared at him with wide, wet eyes. "I am never going to love you – do you understand? I am never going to want to stay here with you. _Never._"

"You'll change your mind," he said confidently, stroking her hair. She slapped his hand away and he smiled and picked up the breakfast tray.

"Look," he said, "I'll come up again in fifteen minutes and see if you've changed your mind about the shower, okay? We'll take things slowly, Linka, but I know you're going to see things my way eventually." He stood in the doorway and looked down at her huddled form.

"I'm sorry they killed him," he said gently. "But I'll make it all right again. Remember how much fun we used to have, Linka? Even when Caitlin was there, I could sense something between you and me..."

She scoffed. "I have _never_ wanted anything from you," she said, hoping she was hurting him. "I rejected every single one of your advances, Robert. And now I hate you even more." She stared up at him, feeling empty. "You can keep me here forever," she whispered, "But I will never love you, and I will never forgive you. Nothing you threaten me with now will be worse than losing Wheeler."

Robert stared back at her for a moment, and then scoffed before pulling the door shut behind him and locking her in.

He stood there for a moment, with the breakfast tray in his hands, before he made his way slowly downstairs again. He was filled with despair, and guilt – and anger. Even now, when he was trying to provide her with everything she needed, she was still acting so stuck-up. He shook his head and dumped the tray in the sink, toast and all.

"Bitch," he muttered to himself, sitting at the table. He put his head in his hands and started trawling through ideas on how to change Linka's mind. Like it or not, they were stuck with one another now. He couldn't exactly let her go – and like he said, she was all he had now that her husband was dead.

Robert shifted uncomfortably. _They didn't have to do that. I didn't tell them not to do it, but they didn't have to kill him._

Still. Maybe things would be easier with one less person out there to hunt Linka down.

He jumped as the phone rang shrilly. After a moment he decided to ignore it. It would only be the office, and he didn't want to leave Linka so soon. He'd taken the week off just to help her get settled in, and _Earth & Air_ was just going to have to operate without him for a while.

_Linka._ He sighed. _Time will make things better for the both of us. _

x

"You can't go in there half-cocked accusing my boss of kidnapping Linka," Caitlin argued, steering her car through the wet streets.

"I _know_ he's got Linka," Wheeler snapped.

"How?" Caitlin shot back. "You just leapt up with this idea suddenly in your head."

"It is complicated," Kwame sighed from the back seat.

"Look, it's ridiculous to think Robert could be behind this," Caitlin said, trying to calm Wheeler down before they got to Robert's house. "I mean yeah, he had a bit of a fixation, but you realise how crazy this all sounds, right?"

"He's got her," Wheeler said, clenching his jaw. "I don't care how stupid it sounds. He's got her."

She sighed and took another turn. Things were silent for a while, until she spoke up again.

"So, when did you get married?" she asked, trying to sound as though the answer wasn't really going to interest her anyway.

"A couple of weeks ago," Wheeler answered quietly, leaning his head against the window.

"I didn't know it was coming up. She didn't tell me you'd set a date, when she was here."

"We eloped," he said tiredly. "Are we nearly there?"

"Nearly." Caitlin chewed her lip.

"Try and keep your mouth shut," she said, pulling up to the gate in front of Robert's house. "I'm not exactly happy about you accusing Robert of this stuff. He cared about Linka – he wouldn't hurt her."

She had to get out of the car to press the intercom, and Kwame had to put his hand on Wheeler's shoulder to stop him following her.

"Putting Robert on the defensive before we get inside is not the way to do things," Kwame said gently.

Wheeler fidgeted and glared up at the house. "If he's touched her, or hurt her, or done anything to her, I'm going to –"

"Wheeler, calm down," Kwame soothed. "We will get her back. We got you back."

Wheeler rubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah." He hung his head tiredly. "We're getting her back and then we're going home, right?"

Kwame leaned back and closed his eyes. "Yes."

"He's not there." Caitlin said, speaking through the open car window. "What now?"

"Oh, fuck this," Wheeler snapped, throwing the door open and pacing to the wall. "We're getting in."

"But he's not there," Caitlin said again, following him reluctantly. "In fact I'm pretty sure he's on holidays. He's taken all next week off..." She trailed off lamely and Wheeler leapt at a clump of ivy clinging to the top of the wall.

Most of it tore off, but he scrambled into the thick of it and managed to get his hand onto the top of the bricks, pulling himself up and over.

"Let us in!" Caitlin called to him. "There's a manual switch for the gate just inside the yard."

Wheeler found the switch and waited impatiently for Kwame and Caitlin to join him. Kwame grabbed him gently.

"Wheeler," he said, "Try and stay calm in here, okay?"

"Robert's no saint, but he wouldn't do this to Linka, okay?" Caitlin sighed, leading the way up the gravel drive way. "So don't go in there and punch him or anything. He'll be able to help us track Plunder down, but that's as far as his involvement goes."

Wheeler glared up at the house. _No it's not. She's in there. He has her trapped in there._

It took all his strength not to call her name towards the windows.

x

"Shit." Robert sat at the kitchen table, his heart racing. The doorbell rang again and he cocked his head to make sure he couldn't hear Linka calling out. He'd taken every precaution to make her bedroom as solid and as silent as possible. So far it seemed to be working. Either she hadn't heard the doorbell, or he couldn't hear her reacting to it.

And just who the hell _was_ at the door, anyway? The intercom had gone off, but he'd ignored it. Whoever it was had managed to find a way through the gate anyway. Had it not shut behind him when he'd brought Linka in? He hadn't even checked. He cursed himself and wondered if it would be best to just ignore the door for now.

"Robert? Are you in there? It's Caitlin!"

Caitlin's voice was muffled, but there was a heavy knock on the door, and it didn't sound like she was going to go away any time soon.

"Listen, remember that guy Plunder? I need your help tracking him down. The files at work are all password protected. I tried calling, but you didn't answer. Are you in there?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. The passwords to the old files. That's all she wanted. He could deal with this conversation after all, and maybe send Caitlin down a trail of false clues and dead ends so she wouldn't find out about Plunder's latest little project.

He opened the door. "Caitlin, it's the weekend," he said tiredly. His eyes widened when he saw Wheeler and Kwame. He recognised Wheeler immediately. He'd spent months looking at the one file photo he'd managed to find of _Planet Traffic's_ former Vice President. Glaring at it and hating the man smiling back at him because _he_ had been the one Linka had chosen.

"Where's Linka?" Wheeler asked softly. His voice was like ice and Robert tightened his hold on the door handle.

"What?" he asked, trying to stay calm. "Look, Caitlin, those files are locked for a reason –"

"_Where is she_?" Wheeler asked furiously.

Robert stared back at him coldly. "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked. "I have no idea –"

Caitlin gave a short scream as Wheeler punched Robert in the face. Blood spattered and Robert fell to the floor, clutching his nose.

Wheeler stepped over him and into the foyer. "Linka? Babe?"

"Get the fuck out of my house," Robert gasped, staggering to his feet. "You're insane. Caitlin, what the fuck is going on?"

"I'm sorry," Caitlin winced, pulling out her handkerchief and handing it to him. She glared at Wheeler. "Way to go, idiot," she snapped. "Linka's not here, obviously, but you punch the guy who can help us track her down?"

Wheeler ignored her. _Ma-Ti, where is she? Where the hell is she?_

_You need a key. It's in his pocket and Linka is upstairs. Go upstairs._

Ma-Ti was sweating and Gi was watching him worriedly from her hospital bed.

"Don't overdo it," she warned. "We have to get out of here, and if you collapse again they're gonna send you off for all sorts of tests –"

"I know," Ma-Ti said weakly. "But I can feel her, now. I'm linked to Wheeler, and I can see everything he is seeing. Robert has her in a bedroom upstairs."

Gi shifted slightly in her hospital bed. "What a freak," she whispered. "Is Linka okay?"

Ma-Ti closed his eyes again.

Wheeler had the key in his hand and he was taking the stairs three-at-a-time.

_Right,_ Ma-Ti said. _Turn right._

There was a door at the end of the corridor, and Wheeler knew Linka was behind it. He sprinted towards her.

x

At the back of the house, away from the road and the front door, Linka had no idea the doorbell had been ringing. She was lost inside herself, anyway, still curled up on the floor where Robert had left her.

She had taken the Planeteer rings out of her pocket again. She gazed blankly down at them in her palm.

Dead. They were dead, too. Once Wheeler was gone, the powers were lost. She closed her fingers around them and felt them warming to the temperature of her skin.

After her grandmother's death, Linka had spent a long time wondering about the afterlife. Wondering if there was one, and what it was like. She wasn't sure she believed in ghosts or spirits wandering Earth, but she had liked to believe that somehow, her grandmother had found a better place after her death.

_I wonder if you are there with her now,_ Linka thought tiredly, looking down at Wheeler's Planeteer ring.

Tears fell from her eyes as she remembered the last moment she'd seen him. She wondered how long he'd had to think on the way down, and what his last thoughts had been.

_Please let it have been quick,_ she thought desperately. She shuddered and buried her face against her knees, holding herself tightly and closing her eyes, trying to remember exactly what it was like when she had last nestled her body against her husband's.

There was a frantic scrabbling at the door, and she cringed and hugged herself tighter, wishing she could lock Robert _out._

The door burst open and she jumped – but it wasn't Robert.

"Hey, babe," Wheeler sighed, relief flooding his face. "Sorry I'm late."

x

Wheeler wasn't sure how long they'd been on the floor. Linka was still sobbing quietly into his chest. She hadn't managed to say much, yet. He'd explained what had happened but he didn't know if she'd taken any of it in. He leaned back against the bed and ran his hand up and down her back, resting his cheek on the top of her head and closing his eyes.

"You were dead," she said, looking up at him. "I saw you fall."

He shook his head and smiled tiredly. "Not dead. Always alive."

She smiled back at him and wiped her eyes before she pushed him to the floor and clambered on top of him, pressing her cheek to his chest and listening to his heart. He held her tightly.

"Did he hurt you?" he asked softly.

"_Nyet._"

"I mean it, Linka, if he hurt you or touched you at all –"

"_Nyet,_ he did not." She sat up and looked down at him. "I am okay, now."

He looked up at her tiredly. He'd seen her like this – leaning over him – hundreds of times. On the couch, on the beach, on the grass, in bed. Soft conversations, laughter, making love.

"Oh, babe," he sighed. "I love you."

"Call me that again," she said softly.

He reached up and brushed the backs of his fingers across her cheek. "Babe."

She closed her eyes and tilted her head against the warm touch of his hand. "Again."

He pulled her closer, meeting her halfway and supporting his weight on one arm. He moved the tip of his nose gently against hers.

"Babe," he sighed.

She kissed him gently. "I love you," she whispered. "I thought I had lost you forever."

He stroked her hair and grinned. "Nah. They've gotta do more than that to keep me from you."

"Maybe you can fly after all, _svetlyachok_," she said, running the tip of her index finger down the bridge of his nose.

He nodded and buried his face in her shoulder. "Ready to get out of here?" he asked. "Want me to take you home?"

She nodded and clutched him tightly. "Just do not let go of me now. No matter what."

"I won't."

"No matter what." She widened her eyes and he kissed her.

"No matter what."

x

Wheeler helped Linka down the stairs. She clung fiercely to him, glancing about nervously, as though something could sweep in at any moment and tear him from her grasp.

Kwame, Caitlin and Robert still stood by the front door. Caitlin was still helping Robert mop blood from his nose. She was apologising profusely, but Robert looked nervous and guilty.

"Are you all right?" Kwame asked anxiously, taking Linka's hand as she joined them.

She nodded gratefully.

"Oh my God," Caitlin gasped, staggering slightly. "You _are_ here." She stared at Robert. "What the hell did you do?"

"It's all just a misunderstanding," Robert answered frantically taking a couple of steps backwards. "I was just keeping her safe –"

Wheeler slipped out of Linka's hands and sent another punch towards Robert's face, causing him to fall back against the wall by the front door.

He groaned and pressed his palm over his eye. Linka buried her face against Kwame's arm, not wanting to protest against Wheeler hurting Robert, but not wanting to watch it, either.

"Did you hurt her?" Wheeler asked softly, watching Robert struggle to stand straight again.

"I didn't touch her, okay?" Robert asked, wiping his bloody nose on his sleeve. "I was going to look after her."

Wheeler punched him again, in the stomach this time, and Robert doubled over and sank to his knees.

"Stop," he gasped. "I didn't touch her, I swear."

Wheeler grabbed the front of his shirt and lifted him back to his feet before flooring him again with a punch to the jaw.

"Okay, stop!" Robert coughed. "You win, it's over."

Linka grabbed the back of Wheeler's shirt and tugged gently, and he stepped back and wrapped his arms around her again.

"Get up," Kwame said to Robert in disgust. "You are right – it is over."

Robert groaned and staggered to his feet. Again, pride got the better of him. "Don't know what you're complaining about," he muttered, glaring at Linka. "One fuck and you'd be all mine –"

Kwame stepped swiftly in front of Wheeler and punched Robert square in the face, knocking him to the floor again, where he lay slumped and still.

The Earth Planeteer rubbed his fist and stepped backwards, lining up with Wheeler and Linka again. She huddled into her husband, but reached for Kwame's hand.

"Call the police," Kwame said softly.

Caitlin nodded and hurried away to the telephone.

**XX**


	25. Chapter 25

**Final chapter! I hope it's not too scattered. Thank you all so much for reading - especially those of you who commented along the way. You guys are the reason I keep coming back! :) **

**I'm working on another two-part fic at the moment, so I will be back! Add me to your author alerts and the instant it's up, you'll know! :)**

**Thanks again! Lisa xx**

x**  
**

"I can sign them, Gi. It won't take long."

"Thanks, Ma-Ti." Gi leaned back into her seat tiredly. The doctors weren't happy about her checking out, but Gi and Ma-Ti wanted to get out and find the others.

Kwame had said the geo-cruiser wasn't up to the flight back to Russia and then on to Hope Island, so Gi and Ma-Ti were joining them in London.

She waited quietly for Ma-Ti to finish dealing with the forms and the police. They'd found no evidence of Plunder having taken anyone else, but there were phone records to Robert, and the payment Linka had made in exchange for Wheeler. The cards Gaia had provided them with had been more than enough to convince the Russian government that the Planeteers were a genuine international agency.

There was an international alert out for Plunder's arrest.

Gi looked up automatically as the elevator chimed.

"Mishka?" She straightened up in surprise.

He looked down at her with a slightly anxious expression. "You," he said. "Gi?"

"Yeah. Is everything okay?"

He looked around – presumably for Linka.

"She's not here," Gi said. "She's in London."

"Ah," Mishka said, nodding. "_Da,_ good."

Gi glared at him. "Nice."

He shrugged uncomfortably. "And you – what has happened?"

"Bullet in the shoulder," she said. "I'm fine."

"And Linka?" He put his hands in his pockets, standing there awkwardly. "She is not hurt?"

"Why don't you ask her?" Gi asked in exasperation. "She's been through so much, Mishka. I couldn't possibly begin to explain it to you."

He shrugged again.

Gi squinted up at him. "So what are you doing here?" she asked. "Everything okay?"

"Oh," he said, motioning towards the elevator. "_Da._ Natalya is in."

"Is the baby okay?" Gi asked. "Has she had it?"

"_Nyet_, she has not had it yet. There is a high heartbeat. They are keeping her in to make sure everything is all right."

Gi nodded. "When is she due?"

"Uh – two months." After a moment he took the chair next to her, sitting quietly. "Are you here alone?" he asked. "The other Planeteers are in London?"

"Ma-Ti is here, somewhere," Gi said, nodding towards the front desk. "He's signing me out, and trying to convince the police we're not criminals."

Mishka nodded.

"So do you know what you're having?" Gi asked curiously. "A son or a daughter?"

"A son," Mishka said softly, smiling.

Gi nodded and got to her feet as she saw Ma-Ti appear at the end of the corridor. "Well, I hope everything goes well," she said. "Maybe one day he'll have a little sister too."

Mishka blinked and looked down at the floor. "_Da,_ maybe."

"Why don't you just call her?" Gi asked softly. "Just to say hello. Just to ask if she's okay. This mission..." She shook her head, and she sounded tearful when she spoke again. "It was bad, Mishka. Dangerous, and scary. Especially for Linka."

He dug around in his coat pocket and pulled out a rumpled envelope. "Could you give her this?" he asked, handing it to Gi.

"It's not going to make her feel awful, is it?" Gi asked coldly.

He shook his head. "It is an apology," he said. "But..." He sighed, and avoided her eyes. "Things are still going to be difficult for me," he said. "I am not ready to talk to her just yet. Just give her the note, please." He gave her a slightly apologetic look and walked past her and out the door.

"Was that Mishka?" Ma-Ti asked, joining Gi.

"Yeah." She turned the letter over in her hand and tucked it into her pocket. "Come on. We've got to get to the airport."

x

"My ring would not work," Linka whispered. "I thought that proved everything..."

"Maybe Ma-Ti has an answer for that," Wheeler murmured tiredly. He stroked her hair.

He had never been so exhausted. He felt as though he was about to collapse, and there were moments where he seemed to wake up and realise he'd been dozing with his eyes open. Things shifted and swam in front of him, and his head throbbed.

The airport hummed around them busily, but he and Linka stood still, holding one another tightly as they waited for Gi and Ma-Ti to arrive.

"There they are," Kwame sighed gratefully, waving at the Water and Heart Planeteers as they emerged from the terminal. He felt an instant wave of relief now that the team was together again.

They all embraced, Linka and Gi huddled securely in the middle.

"Can we go home?" Gi croaked. "I'm done. Fuck Plunder."

Wheeler snorted and Linka let out a choked laugh. "_Da_, I want to go home too."

"Me too," Kwame breathed. "Come on." He took Gi's hand and the others followed them out of the airport.

"Where's the geo-cruiser?" Gi asked.

"Not far. Away from the airspace. It's shielded from sight on satellites and computers, but not from the eyes of regular people," Kwame said, leading her along. "We had to hide it."

Gi just nodded tiredly as they waited in the long line for a cab.

Ma-Ti fumbled in his pocket as his phone rang. "Great," he muttered, glancing at the screen. "I bet this is the Russian police trying to arrest me."

The others snickered, their combined mood bordering on hysteria. Linka leaned heavily against Wheeler, convinced that she was asleep and just the barest instincts were keeping her upright. She had stopped paying attention to anything – trusting Wheeler to sweep her along and get her home safely.

Something snapped her back to awareness, however.

Ma-Ti had shut his phone and sighed, turning to the others. "They've found Plunder just outside of London. They're bringing him into the city. We've got to go in."

"Now?" Gi asked weakly. Kwame put his arm around her.

Ma-Ti shrugged. "In the morning. We may as well get a room for the night and get it all over and done with tomorrow."

Wheeler sighed. "When this is over, I'm takin' time off and I'm not leaving the beach on Hope Island. I don't care what Gaia says."

"I'll back you up," Gi muttered.

x

Time slide by, skipping like a record. Wheeler had very little recollection of the time spent in the hotel. He could remember arriving, and the desk clerk looking at him like he was a drug addict. When he'd looked in the bathroom mirror he'd realised he looked like one. He and Linka had simply tumbled into bed and curled around one another, not waking until Ma-Ti had hammered on their door fourteen hours later.

Now Wheeler and Ma-Ti were sipping lukewarm coffee out of cardboard cups in the lobby of the hotel, waiting for Gi and Kwame. Linka was asleep on Wheeler's shoulder.

"Hey Ma-Ti, tell me somethin'," Wheeler murmured.

"What is it?" Ma-Ti asked quietly.

"Linka's ring wouldn't work after Plunder pushed me out of the helicopter. How come?"

"She thought you were dead," Ma-Ti answered, glancing towards Linka. "She had already convinced herself the rings weren't going to work because you weren't there to support their power anymore. Same reason she shut her mind against me. On one hand, it was just too painful to have a connection to me when she was grieving so hard – and on the other, she didn't really believe she'd hear me anyway, because you were gone and the connection we all have was broken."

Wheeler kissed the top of Linka's head. "Is there any way we can get out of doing this?" he asked, referring to their impending meeting with the police.

"Don't think so," Ma-Ti sighed. "I'll try and speed things up where I can, but I usually find it difficult to influence people of the law, for some reason."

"Probably something to do with your complicated morals," Wheeler muttered, draining the last of his coffee as Kwame and Gi finally arrived.

"Sorry," Gi apologised, yawning. "Hard to get dressed with just one arm working."

Wheeler glanced towards Linka. "She was gonna come in and help but she's –"

Gi shook her head. "I got it, it's okay. Let's go and get this over and done with."

x

_Thanks, little buddy_, Wheeler thought tiredly to Ma-Ti as he and Linka finally emerged from the interview room. Ma-Ti gave him a slight nod in response, looking tired.

"We don't usually allow that, you know," the detective muttered to Wheeler. "Having the two of you give your statements in the same room like that."

Wheeler squeezed Linka's hand. "We appreciate you making an exception," he answered.

"You should get some sleep," the detective said, squinting at Wheeler now that they were in the bright lights of the waiting room. "How long have you been awake?"

"Years," Wheeler sighed. "But I want to ask another favour."

"Can't say I'm really in a position to grant you one," the detective answered.

Linka looked up at Wheeler curiously.

"I want to get a message to Plunder. To see him."

"No way," the detective scoffed.

Wheeler almost staggered as he felt the force of Ma-Ti's message.

_Allow it. Just this once._

"I mean – I couldn't, it'd jeopardise the whole thing," the detective stammered, his eyes darting around as though searching for the strange voice he'd heard.

_Allow it. There will be no problems. _

Baffled, the detective shrugged.

Wheeler sat Linka down in the seat between Gi and Kwame, who was dozing in the corner.

"Stay here?" he asked.

She nodded. "I do not want to see him. Be careful."

"Yeah." He kissed the top of her head. "Love you. Be back in two minutes."

Gi took Linka's hand and they watched Wheeler follow the detective out of the room, towards the final interview room. The room where Plunder remained after being interrogated and charged.

He sat in a chair in dark coveralls, his hands handcuffed in front of him. He looked up in surprise when Wheeler was shown in.

"Your hair's looking a bit flat today," Wheeler said, standing aside for the guard to step into the room with him.

"Full-body conditioner isn't allowed in prison, I'm told," Plunder answered, raising his eyebrow. "But speaking of appearances, you look like you've had less sleep than I have."

"Trouble sleeping?" Wheeler asked, glaring down at him.

"Last night I saw Bleak naked." Plunder blanched. "Tell me you'd sleep soundly after seeing that."

"Ugh." Wheeler clutched his stomach and leaned against the wall.

"How's blondie?" Plunder asked smugly.

Wheeler clenched his fists, knowing that if he touched Plunder in here he'd probably be thrown in jail alongside him.

"Feelin' better now we're about to go home," Wheeler answered. "She's out there." He nodded his head towards the main office.

"And she didn't want to come and say hello?"

"Not particularly," Wheeler said coldly. "Got your defence all sorted out, Plunder?"

"I have something up my sleeve," Plunder answered haughtily. "We'll meet again."

"Maybe," Wheeler conceded, staring down at the floor. "The world seems to be like that, these days. The bad guys are winning a lot more than they used to."

"It's a glorious time for us all," Plunder said dryly.

"I wanted to come clean," Wheeler said. "About Baryshnikov."

"Ah, how you got away? Do tell. It was the one thing that dampened the whole experience, really. Well, that, and having two Planeteers survive after I was sure they had been killed."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Wheeler muttered.

Plunder smirked.

"So you really haven't woken up to it?" Wheeler asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Plunder blinked. "Woken up to what?"

"Baryshnikov. Under that fur coat and the wig and the makeup and the eye contacts, she looks exactly like my wife."

Plunder gaped at him, before his face went purple and he leapt at Wheeler in a rage.

"No!" he roared. "It wasn't her! Impossible!"

He was wrestled back into his seat by the guard.

Wheeler leaned down and looked Plunder in the eye – he was breathing heavily and his eyes were bulging. His face still looked purple.

"Big mistake, underestimating Polina Vetrova," Wheeler whispered. "Don't ever do it again."

Plunder barked a short laugh. "Next time I won't hesitate," he snarled. "Next time she's dead before she hits the ground."

The guard cleared his throat. "Time to go, I think, Mr. Armstrong."

Wheeler smirked. "Yeah. Next time, Plunder. Next time, you're barbeque. Remember that."

x

"Hey, what happened to Robert?" Gi asked tiredly, shifting her head slightly against Ma-Ti's shoulder.

Wheeler smirked. "He cracked as soon as the police showed up. Confessed everything. He's got a whole heap of other charges against him too, thanks to what he did trying to blackmail Plunder."

"I have never looked forward to the end of a mission so much," Kwame sighed. "We are almost home."

"Good thing, too," Wheeler said anxiously, glancing at the flashing lights across the control panel in front of him. "The geo-cruiser looks like she's on her last legs."

He glanced over his shoulder at Linka. She was still asleep, curled up in her seat beneath his jacket.

The geo-cruiser shuddered, and Kwame and Wheeler both winced, gripping the controls nervously.

"There," Kwame breathed with relief, pointing. Hope Island had just come into view, shimmering on the horizon.

"Oh, home," Gi mumbled, letting her head fall back onto Ma-Ti's shoulder. "Bed."

"Bed," the others echoed gratefully.

Linka jerked awake and looked around, disorientated.

"Hey babe," Wheeler said, feeling cheerful all of a sudden. "Just in time to help us land."

She rolled her eyes. "You can handle that on your own, I think, Yankee. Are there any lights up there that are _not_ flashing?"

"The auto-pilot," he answered, quick-as-a-flash.

Regardless of the geo-cruiser's battered condition, Kwame managed to land them gently on Hope Island's landing pad.

They all clambered out gratefully, realising that finally, it was over, and they were home.

Gaia was waiting for them, looking worried. "Are you all right?" she asked them, hurrying forward.

"We're okay," Gi answered, smiling bravely. "But can we have some time off, please?"

Linka started laughing, but then burst into tears, and they all huddled together, sinking to the ground as one and leaning towards Gaia as she knelt and opened her arms.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. "I had no idea it was going to be so dangerous and so difficult."

"It's not your fault, Gaia," Wheeler answered tiredly. "We know you'd never do anything to hurt us."

She sighed and reached over and tousled his hair gently, like an affectionate mother. "You should all get some sleep," she said. "Don't worry about anything. Just recover."

Kwame sent a stern look towards Gi. "Some of us may need the help of a hospital."

"I'm _fine_," Gi promised, wiping tears from her eyes. "I just need to lie down. And you can fly me back to the hospital at any time in the geo-copter."

She remembered Mishka, suddenly, and dug around in her pocket. "Linka," she whispered. "Here."

Linka took the envelope without really looking at it. "What is it?" she asked.

"An apology," Gi said, squeezing her hand. "From your brother."

x

"Want to be alone?" Wheeler asked, stroking Linka's damp hair.

She shook her head. Showered, towelled, and dressed in an old t-shirt and cotton briefs, she was sitting cross-legged on the bed, Mishka's letter in her hands.

"It is dated so long ago," she said. "He wrote it and carried it around with him."

Wheeler kissed her forehead. "Are you going to read it?"

"I do not think I could take it, if it turned out to be bad news," she said tearfully.

"Gi said it was an apology," Wheeler whispered.

Linka nodded, and braced herself before easing the envelope open. Wheeler stretched out on the bed beside her, bare-chested, and she lay alongside him and rested her head in the hollow of his shoulder as she unfolded the single sheet of paper inside.

"What does it say?" he asked gently, smoothing his hand over her hair.

"My dear Linka, please forgive me," she whispered. "I am sorry for causing such a rift between us. I hope one day I may have the courage to bridge it again. Love to you always, Mishka."

Wheeler sighed and held her as she sobbed. "Wish he'd had the courage to elaborate a little," he grumbled.

"It is hard for him to admit mistakes," she whispered, wiping her eyes. "This is more than I ever expected from him."

Wheeler kissed the top of her head. "You okay?"

She burrowed into him. "I need sleep," she answered softly.

"Me too." He reached over to the end of the bed and doubled the blanket over, pulling it over their bodies. "Sweet dreams, babe."

She kissed his bare skin drowsily. "You too, Yankee."

x

"I vote we retire," Gi muttered, easing herself down onto her back, pillowing her head against Kwame's leg.

"It has been three days, and you have complained of boredom at least a hundred times," Kwame answered.

"I'll get used to it," she answered, closing her eyes. "Doing nothing is nice."

"Compared to our last mission, yes," Ma-Ti agreed. "But something will come up. An oil spill, or deforestation, or –"

"Dude, stop," Wheeler groaned. "I'm not ready for any of that yet."

"I don't expect you to be," Gaia answered, joining them. They were all sprawled on the sand watching the waves roll in as the sun set.

"No deadline for going back to work then?" Wheeler asked, absent-mindedly tracing patterns on Linka's arm as she leaned against him.

"Take as long as you want," Gaia answered. "If you decide you won't ever be ready to go back –"

"Gaia!" Linka said in amazement, sitting up straight. "Of course we are not giving up..."

"Not recovering is not the same as giving up," Gaia clarified gently. "But I'm glad to hear you say that, Linka."

"It's gonna be a while before I'm back to normal," Gi sighed, motioning towards her injured shoulder with her good arm.

"No hurry," Wheeler muttered. Of everyone, he was the least eager to get back to work – though nobody seemed to be expressing serious desire for things to go back to normal.

"Just rest," Gaia answered, leaving them again. "Recover."

"Recover," Linka sighed. "I am not sure that is fully possible."

Wheeler kissed her temple. "We'll be okay."

"We have each other," Ma-Ti agreed, taking Linka's hand. "We will always be okay."

Gi groaned. "Do you have to be such an optimist all the time?"

Kwame chuckled and put his hand gently over her mouth. "I am agreeing with Ma-Ti," he said. "We are together. That is enough."

Linka nodded and squeezed Wheeler's hand, smiling up at him. "More than enough," she whispered.

x

**THE END**


End file.
